Skip to content Skip to navigation

Call for Papers: Multi-Ethnic Poetry in English from North-East India: A Critical Spectrum

By editor |

The term ‘North-East’ is a form of geographical, linguistic and ethnic stereotyping that clubs together eight disparate states comprising of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and Sikkim, that happen to lie in the Northeastern periphery of the Indian union. The body of works by English-language writers from this regionrefers to the North-East Indian Writings in English. Some of the most interesting Indian writing in English today is coming from this region. Intense political conflict and complex issues of identity along with some of the psychological and social perplexities of the present provide much fodder for storylines. And the subsoil of myth and folklore, coupled with scenic landscapes, make it a fertile ground for literary ferment.


Today, there is a profusion of literature from the North-East India. Of this resourceful group, the poets have always commanded a special attention and appeal owing to the ubiquity of the form and the profound intensity of the creative expression. The sense of place, history and society comes across through their poems beautifully and in very evocative language. Mostly, they hail from the multifarious ethnic groups. Obviously, ethnicity is a major concern in their poetry.


The proposed anthology is intended to focus on some of the latest perspectives of the region presented by noted North-East Indian poets such as Temsula Ao, Mamang Dai, Easterine Iralu, Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija, Nini Vingurian Lungalang, Esther Syiem, Mona Zote, Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, Robin Singh Ngangom, Desmond L. Kharmawphlang, Anjum Hasan, Bhaskar Roy Barman, Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Rajendra Bhandari, Niranjan Chakma, Jogamaya Chakma, Nabanita Kanungo, Yumlam Tana, Mrs. Lakshahira Das, Dayananda Pathak, Umakanta Sarma, Bhupati Das, R. K. Madhubir, Ananya S. Guha, H. Ramdinthari, Rajendra Bhandari, Chandra Kanta Murasingh, Kalyan Brata Chakraborty, Nanda Kumar Debbarma, Swapan Sengupta, Shefali Debbarma, Niranjan Chakma Yogmaya Chakma, Ganghini Sorokkhaibam, Sudhanwa Tripura, etc. etc.


Interested scholars are requested to submit a 200-250 words abstract along with short bio through e-mail as MS Word attachment to Dr. Indu Swami at induswamionline@yahoo.com latest by July 31, 2011. The deadline for submission of full length unpublished quality papers (3000-7000 words) in the latest MLA style is August 31, 2011. The anthology will be published by a renowned International Publisher with ISBN in the month of December 2011.


Dr. (Mrs.) Indu Swami
PG Department of English,
Assam Central University:: Diphu Campus,
Diphu-782460, Karbi Anglog, Assam



Add new comment

Random Stories

ULFA at war with Himanta

13 Dec 2011 - 4:01pm | editor
A heavy exchange of words between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Ulfa seems to have kept political landscape boiling in Assam. Ulfa on Monday called the powerful minister their former colleague a day after...

Severed head found near Kamakhya

3 Mar 2012 - 4:14am | editor
Utter sensation prevails in Guwahati after local residents of Kamakhya found a severed head on Friday. According to police, it could be a case of human sacrifice. The head was found in a plastic...

Stage set for IAF recruitment

25 Sep 2015 - 9:07pm | Jackson Tayeng
Indian Air Force is gearing up for airman recruitment rally in Itanagar from Saturday. The special recruitment rally is all set to take place at Dera Natung Government College in the capital city....

2 childrens rescued at Tangla railway station

27 Aug 2016 - 9:42pm | Raktim Baruah
At a time when there have been reports of human trafficking specially women and children from the state to various North Indian states.Two childrens were found abandoned at Tangla railway station on...

Other Contents by Author

Arrested Manoranjana ailing

Arrested media baron Manoranjana Sinh is undergoing tretment at a local hospital in Kolkata. CBI officials probing Saradha scam rushed her to the hospital when she complained breathing difficulties during the custodial interrogation.She was to be produced before a special court in Alipore on Tuesday as the CBI remand expired. CBI officials were expected to seek her in their remand for a few again.

National media education meet

Assam Don Bosco University and Educational Leadership are hosting a national conference in collaboration with Mizoram University department of Mass Communication. Dr. K. V. Nagaraj, Professor at Mizoram University and Former Pro Vice Chancellor addressed ADBU students of mass communication and educational leadership on Wednesday.The conference is being organized in collaboration with Mizoram University Mass Communication department and ADBU Departments of Educational Leadership and Mass Communication from November 2 and 3.A Pre-conference Colloquium for students and research scholars is scheduled for October 31 on ‘Media, Culture and Society.’  

Physiotherapy camp concludes at press club

The city based media persons are suffering from various pain related ailments relating to their neck, shoulder and backs. It was found during a daylong physiotherapy camp, which was organized at Guwahati Press Club on 12 September 2015.Organized by the College of Physiotherapy and Medical Sciences Rehabilitation & Research Centre, Bamunimaidam (a unit of Purbanchal Educational Welfare Society), the camp covered more than 50 scribes who were offered on spot treatment and consultancies.Attended by physicians Dr Trailokya Saikia & Dr NN Sarma with physiotherapists Dr Ujwal Bhattacharya, Dr Abhijit Kalita, Dr Pooja Saikia and Dr Kritika Boruah, the camp also helped the scribes to check...

NDFB-S rebel held

A NDFB-S rebel identified as Buddhiram Basumatary alias Birkw of Amteka Debrabil in Chirang district was apprehanded from Karigaon area in Kokrajhar by security forces belonging to the Army on Sunday morning. One factory made 7.65 mm pistol with three live rounds amunitions was recovered from him. He was later handed over to Kokrajhar police.

Cong prepared to form Tiwa council

Congress is gearing up to form the Tiwa Autonomous Council after the ruling party won 15 out of 31 seats. The party is trying to get the support of one candidate to complete the formality. “We are in touch with several candidates who have assured us support to form the council,” said a senior Congress leader. The party needs 16 seats to formally form the council. The ruling party falls short of one seat. A senior party leader told ne24 that it would be a problem for the party since several candidates are in touch with them. The ruling party got 15 seats while the Ramakanta Deori-led Tiwa Aikya Manch got 10 seats. BJP had to remain satisfied with only 3 seats while AGP got 2 seats.

Consultation on media freedom & law

The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in association with Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Club of India (New Delhi), Mumbai Press Club and Indian Federation of Working Journalists have organized a two day national consultation on media freedom and the law on 8 & 9 August next.To be held at New Delhi Press Club, the national meet is expected to highlight the burning issues relating to the frequent attacks on journalists, sexual harassment and criminal defamation cases against the media persons and also appropriate response to those attacks on press freedom including legal measures.Senior journalist and media commentators like Paranjoy Guha Thakurtha, Bharat...

APJ Abdul Kalam no more

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam passed away at Shillong on Monday. He collasped at a function in Indian Institute of Management Shillong duering a lecture. He was rushed to the ICU of Bethani Hospital where he was declared dead. He was 83. Condolence from variuosusection of people and leaders are pouring in.Deeply saddened at the sudden demise of the former president of India Dr. APAJ Abdul Kalam. He was an inspiration to an entire generation.— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) July 27, 2015Death of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is a great loss to the country. He was a common men's President and an icon of the young generation...— Tarun Gogoi (@tarun_gogoi) July 27, 2015RIP #APJ...

NRI lecturer motivates NE students

A non resident Indian (NRI) has taken upon himself the mission of paying back to society by spending his annual vacation and home visit giving motivational lectures to school and college students. He has been doing this for the past 33 years.“I do not do it for the money. It is my way of paying back to society for the many blessings which I have received over the years,” confessed Dr. George Kallingal a Professor Emeritus at University of Guam (USA) who visited East and northeast India spending time in schools and colleges in Bengal, Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya.His hour-long presentation combined academic achievement, spirituality, and realities of young people into sharp perspective....

BJP: 3600 for 126 seats

As many as 3600 BJP leaders and workers are waiting to be contested from 126 assembly constituencies early next year. State BJP president Siddharth Bhattacharya on Wednesday submitted before the party’s central leadership the list of the ticket aspirants in New Delhi.BJP sources told Assam Times that the state unit has forwarded all applications to the party leadership for finalizing 126 candidates. The party leadership is believed to have been deploying a panel of top leaders to study the winning ability of the applicants.   

OIL chief: Modi faces flak

Prime minister Narendra Modi is facing flak across the state for not appointing Rupsikha Bora as OIL chief. Even after the public enterprises selection committee shortlisted the name of the senior finance director three months back, the prime minister’s office did not prefer the first one chartered accountant from the north east as OIL chairperson and managing director.In his letter, Chief minister Tarun Gogoi urged prime minister Narendra Modi to confirm Bora’s appointment in the helm of OIL.Many local organizations in the state staged dharna in front of the OIL headquarters in Duliajan alleging PMO’s discrimination.A section of the protesters further burnt the effigy of the prime...