Due to the Paper Microphone Cafe (our venue) being closed on Sunday due to the security situation of the Long March, our reading has been pushed back to March 28 until further notice.

We apologize profusely for the short notice, but were just notified ourselves and thus passed the message along to the general webosphere. The good news in all of this is attendees now have more time to send in their material! So start sending yours in for consideration if you’re interested.

Hoping to see you then…

– TPTB

We’ve had a few questions on whether we’re still going to proceed with the reading taking place at F-6, Super Market (at the Paper Microphone Cafe) on March 15, a day before the scheduled march. Currently, our plans remain unchanged but things could swerve around on Saturday if the situation looks particularly dire. Hopefully, we shouldn’t face too much of a lag in terms of attendance especially since we were considering discussing future events in this session.

That said, fliers, bookmarks and business cards for the founding members have come back from the printers and things are looking dandy! We’ve made specific bookmarks for attendees to the book club, so hopefully that should kick off soon enough. We’re still unsure on whether we should have a meeting once a month or make it a little less frequent. Although a book a month seems quite reasonable, as long as its length isn’t too long. However, if we give our audience a deadline they might well work better in that perimeter of time. This will be, I suppose, a more hardcore book club…not one to be undertaken by the faint of heart.

Oh well, there are a lot of things that still need ironing out and that will be ironed out soon enough.

Meanwhile, event registration has been officially closed along with the deadline for sending in pieces for this session. It was a little disappointing to see that not all registrants who were going to read something out, sent in their material but we have quite a few of our own members in attendance and the bulk of material will be represented by the Lounge. We are hopeful, however, that for subsequent readings we will be able to present writers outside of the fold and thus wholly “undiscovered”, so to speak and subject them to our process of working at the Desi Writers Lounge.

Fingers still crossed for a full house on the 15th.

– TPTB

Tabulating the totals from the event posted on Facebook with the onsite registration, and removing any redundancies, the total number of people attending the reading is 25. The total is a little over double the number we’ve boasted on one of our reading, which until then had the most number in attendance.

To be honest, we’re a little nervous to cater to so many people and are hoping that not only we, but the event delivers and brings some of them back again if not to attend the readings, then at least the book club and other events we have on the horizon.

Meanwhile, we’re always on the look out for writers and the event announcement and alliance with The Paper Microphone has brought on a member surge into the Lounge. However, we’re still looking for further material to present at the reading so as a reminder: the deadline’s March 12 for sending in material for consideration.

Fingers crossed, people! Fingers crossed…

– TPTB

‘ello peoples! So we’ve finally settled on a date for the reading. Details are what follow.

The What: Desi Writers Lounge Reading #5
The When: Sunday, March 15 @ 5 PM
The Where: The Paper Microphone (details and registration info here)
The Details: We’re doing something different and inviting you to register for the event, including whether you’ll be a reader or writer and whether you’d like critique if it’s the latter.
The Important Stuff: Write in to readings@desiwriterslounge.net with your material no later than March 12, to be considered.

Please, spread the word! We’ve also created an event on FB (although you’re requested to register via the site). Here’s the link to our group if you didn’t know about it earlier. 🙂

Our first 2009 reading has been planned for Sunday, March 15 @ 5 pm (sharp) at the Paper Microphone, a cafe built to serve the purposes of events like these.

However, in the future we’re planning other events like Poetry and Prose Workshops (including a possible series of summer workshops aimed at grades 8-10 and possibly beyond; it’s all under discussion). Aside from the workshops, we’re bringing you a book club in the future which will naturally be open to members outside of the Lounge. The entire point of these events is to bring together like minded people and offer them activities that are hitherto relatively unknown in this country of ours.

If you’re interested in any of the above, soon we’ll have an event registration/reminder so people can register for an event and we’ll be notified and can make the necessary arrangements. This will be in place before the flyers and other promotional material is handed out.

The workshops will be limited to 15 people/session, since that’s a manageable group of people and still maintains a comfortable rapport between the attendees.

Needless to say, we’re extremely excited about the above ventures. We’ll create FB events for the readings and book club.

It’s important to note the difference between our readings (where writers who present their work receive light feedback only) and a workshop (which will involve heavy critiquing and writing in a close knit, but nonetheless intense environment). The book club will involve reading books together and discussing the impact, etc. Again, details are being ironed out. This space will be updated accordingly.

But meanwhile, we’re moving forward!

– TPTB

‘ello peoples,

Now that the e-zine is out of the way, at least for the next few months, we’re jumpstarting our reading series again. This new series; new because it’s a brand new year, will be marketed around town so you’re encouraged to write in to readings@desiwriterslounge.net to send in your material.

Like our past readings, this is more of a writer’s workshop where we collectively offer insights and opinions on a piece if you’re open to that kind of thing. If you’d just like to read it to an audience, we provide a listening ear too.

We’re excited for this run, hopeful that more people will get to know just what we do at the Desi Writers Lounge, so keep a look out for our posters and/or fliers and if you have an idea for what else we can do, to boost our rep, write in the comments and let us know. 🙂

– TPTB

Volume 4 was published early morning, Wednesday or late night Tuesday (whichever way you want to look at it). You can see all the wonderfulness that is Reprisals, here.

Meanwhile, we’ve restarted our old FB Desi Writers group that we let fall into oblivion thanks to the management of the web site along with the various readings, international meet ups and of course the monstrosity that was the e-zine. So if you’re not a member yet, and would like to keep abreast of our events and what not, you’ll need to head on over there. However, we’re soon going to open up registration to our events over at DWL’s main website, along with incorporating a newsletter function to keep interested visitors up-to-date with our events.

Our readings based in Isloo will soon be restarted as will other events (a proper Book Club and Poetry/Prose night and possibly a dedicated writer’s workshop which might mean separating readings and the workshop as separate events). If you don’t know about us, but want to, please consider yourselves invited to our next event. We place no censors on material presented, but please do let us know if you’ll be presenting anything (readings@desiwriterslounge.net) so we can make the necessary preparations (distribution of all material falls to us).

Alright, so that’s pretty much it.

🙂

– TPTB

It wasn’t easy. The path was long and winding, especially in lieu of the new clause of involving the respective editors in any final decisions concerning the work they were responsible for. But it’s done. The task of wading through the 34 (out of the approximate 1-200 we started with) or so pieces that were brought forward for final e-zine consideration subject to the grueling editing process, has concluded.

14 pieces were struck from the final line up resulting in a medley of poetry, prose and the abstract fusion of both. Two pieces are still awaiting judgment, but the couple not withstanding, 18-20 pieces will be up for display this January 25th, 2009.

Yes, a date has finally been set.

Guess we’ll see you there!

And now? Allow us to take a breather before going through the whole process all over again in April-July ’09.

– TPTB

Now that the editors are wrapping up on the work of their mentees, putting any last minute touches on whatever’s left and sending it forward to the Chief Ed, the real work of wading through all the shortlisted work (taking care of the respective editor’s thoughts on the piece) and final selection begins. If, for whatever reason, your work doesn’t make the cut please note: it’s nothing personal and you were warned earlier on that no piece was final, even after going through the grueling editing period.

It’s never easy to go through each piece and decide on what should or shouldn’t make the cut despite all the work that’s gone in, but it has to be done. Of course, “quality” is relative and very subjective but in this instance (as in the past), I’m afraid the final word still rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

So…no more apologies. Good luck, everyone!

🙂

– TPTB

Well, it happened and while it mayn’t have been everything hoped for (for one, we couldn’t get the visual stuff to work unfortunately!), it was still a kick ass meeting! At the peak of things, we were on three continents, spanning six cities all across the globe and we got to hear the voices of the participants. Not to mention, we talked about everything under the sun. A small clip might be uploaded or not, depending on what we’re willing to disclose.

Meanwhile, the chat log will be uploaded on the forums relatively uncensored. We managed to record a portion of the teleconference so there may be something for posterity (the audio part, that is–the chat log was separate).

But yes, this was one for history and the search for the elusive and perfect videoconferencing software continues. We may have to invest in something on a later date if this becomes a permanent fixture.

Here’s to a new year full of new possibilities!

🙂