Projects

I currently direct two non-profit arts organizations (DesiLit and the SLF) and publish one literary magazine (Jaggery).  Previously, I founded both Strange Horizons (SF/F) and Clean Sheets (erotica), serving as publisher and editor-in-chief for the the first two years of each.

SLF:

The SLF is a non-profit arts foundation, modeled on the National Endowment for the Arts, but focused specifically on serving the speculative literature (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) community.  We aim to encourage promising new writers, assist established writers, facilitate the work of quality magazines and small presses, and develop a greater public appreciation of speculative fiction.

DesiLit:

DesiLit works to build support for South Asian and diaspora writers by:  a) enhancing public awareness of their work through local readings and events, b) creating opportunities for new and aspiring South Asian writers to learn from others in the field and develop their work, through workshops and classes, and c) developing a supportive community among those interested in South Asian literature.

Jaggery:

Jaggery is an unrefined dark brown sugar, made from palm sap or sugarcane. The word jaggery comes from the Portuguese jágara, and from the Malayalam chakkara and Sanskrit sarkara (gritty substance, sugar) before that; its first known use was in 1631  For the relaunch of DesiLit Magazine, we wanted to choose a new, more evocative, name — a name that evoked South Asia, but also the shared colonial history of South Asian nations and the contribution that South Asian languages have made to English, the primary language of our journal.

Strange Horizons:  

Strange Horizons (founded 2000)  is a magazine of and about speculative fiction and related nonfiction.  Speculative fiction includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, and all other flavors of fantastika. Work published in Strange Horizons has been shortlisted for or won Hugo, Nebula, Rhysling, Theodore Sturgeon, James Tiptree Jr., and World Fantasy Awards.

Clean Sheets:  

Clean Sheets (founded 1998) is a magazine devoted to encouraging and publishing quality erotic fiction, poetry, and art, providing honest information and thoughtful commentary on sexuality, and fostering an ongoing discussion of sexuality in the lives of individuals and in a global society