I wanted to take a moment to thank editor-in-chief Anu Mahadev and the whole Jaggery literary magazine team, for managing to put together a bright new issue in the midst of all this chaos.
None of our staff are paid (though our authors are) — Jaggery is a labor of South Asian and diaspora literary love, operating on the slimmest of margins. The fact that these folks still pour their time and energy into editing and putting out a beautiful issue in the midst of a global pandemic says something about their dedication to the arts.
The arts are so sorely needed right now.
Let me also say a particular thank you to out-going managing editor Susheela Bhat Harkins, who came in to help me out back when I was editor-in-chief and drowning a bit in my tendency to overcommit. She helped keep me afloat, and after I passed the magazine’s editorship over to Anu, stayed on and provided a great deal of support and institutional knowledge. You made us better, Sooshe! Thanks!
And finally, here’s my editorial in the new issue, “Ten Things You Might Not Know about Sri Lankan Food.” A little cultural info, a little cooking encouragement. Hopefully entertaining!
I’ve got to go teach my classes now on Zoom (optional for the students!), but I’m looking forward to settling in later today and reading through the new issue of fiction, poetry, essays, and more!