If you take on the job, you'd e-mail the various DesiLit chapters once a month to find out what's happening in their city and you'll post a note to the mailing lists asking for members to let you know what's happening with their writing/books/etc. in the coming month. Then you'd write it up in a nice little newsletter form, and we'll send it out to a variety of interested places. I think it's a time commitment of roughly 2-3 hours/month.
Sounds good? If interested in being one of our newsletter editors, please drop me a line. Ideally, we'd like 2-3 editors, so that the burden isn't too onerous on any one person.
How does one start a local Desilit chapter? I haven’t met any South Asians who write where I live and I’m hoping that doesn’t mean there aren’t any here. Any ideas?
Hey, Priya. So, we ask that folks have at least 5 interested folks before we’ll help you start a chapter — otherwise, they tend to just languish. But that said, what I’d recommend is that you post to a variety of relevant lists saying that you’re interested in starting a chapter in your area and asking if others are interested. I can help with that, if you’re not on any S. Asian literary/artistic lists. You’d want to remember that you don’t need to limit it to writers — interested readers are also great, since you can do things like start a S. Asian book club (which we have going in Chicago and Toronto)…
Where do you live?
Hi MaryAnne,
Besides being S.Asian,how about if a work of fiction, drama, poetry or even philosophy had been self-published but professionally executed to the last detail. And if the writer in question had a previous track record of professional writing? Would that be acceptable?
Wonderful to see you back to your old self by the way…the full of zest & vitality and ready-to-start-a-new-book self. 🙂
Susan, are you talking about for being brought to Chicago by DesiLit? Self-published is okay; we’d just want to see and evaluate the work, the same as we would for any other type of published.
Yes, Mary Anne. Sorry for being vague. I was talking about the DesiLit and had wondered if applications for self-published work would still be considered. I’ll take it that it’s a ‘yes’.