Mekong Review is a quarterly literary magazine focused on Asia and communities of Asian descent. We publish new issues every February, May, August and November. While we are predominantly a print product, subscribers are also able to read our pieces at mekongreview.com.
We accept pitches on a rolling basis, but decisions on commissioning will only be made at the beginning of each new publication cycle. (Approximately: mid-January for the May issue, mid-April for the August issue, mid-July for the November issue and mid-October for the February issue.)
We seek contributors’ understanding that, as we go through the production process, sometimes pieces need to be rescheduled and pushed back to later issues.
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What are we looking for?
The following are the sections/types of articles that we publish in the magazine. We are open to pitches from people with varying degrees of experience with writing — the ideas, insights, perspectives and experiences are what we’re most interested in.
Reviews
We mostly accept reviews of books, films and sometimes music. There should be some connection or relevance to Asia, or Asian diaspora communities. We accept reviews of both fiction and non-fiction books, including poetry. Similarly, we accept reviews of fiction films and documentaries.
We enjoy reviews that provide insight and context into histories, politics, communities or societies. Writers can feel free to use the work that they’re reviewing as a jumping-off point to delve deeper into issues, or even to relate (relevant!) personal experiences and stories.
Previously published:
Caught in between
Holding the line
Sea change
Interviews and Profiles
Every Mekong Review issue runs one interview, presented in a Q&A format with a brief introduction (approx. 3,000 words), and a profile, written as a feature (approx. 1,500 words). Interviews and profiles are each accompanied by a full-page, black-and-white portrait photo of the subject.
We are interested in interview/profile subjects who have had an impact on their communities, done notable work, or have interesting and engaging perspectives to share with readers.
Previously published:
Yan Lianke (interview)
Ei Thinzar Maung (interview)
Edmund Wee (profile)
Anup Kaphle (profile)
Reported Features
Since Mekong Review is a quarterly publication, we are interested in more evergreen topics than time-sensitive ones. We also want to follow up on events after the 24/7 news cycle has moved on—our publishing schedule gives us the chance to practise slow journalism and pay attention to what happens after the initial flurry of media interest.
Previously published:
Party membership
The Aremania’s heartbreak
Essays and Diaries
This is a broad category that covers a wide range of styles and subject matter. It can cover personal experiences, family histories, observations of politics or social trends, etc. as long as there is a relevance or connection to Asia or Asian cultures and communities. We sometimes also run more meditative pieces that provide a ‘slice of life’ look at life in Asia.
Previously published:
So close, too far away
Inshallah
Bookseller
As book lovers, we’re interested in other book lovers — especially those whose jobs revolve around books! This is a section that profiles people working in the book industry. We especially like to highlight and amplify people who run independent bookstores in Asia, but are also open to considering profiles of individuals doing interesting things in the wider book industry.
Previously published:
The bookseller’s revolution
A bookworm’s haunt
Poetry and short fiction
We publish a small number of poems and/or short stories in every issue. The maximum length of a short story we can print is about 3,000 words (i.e. two pages in our print issue). Please including the following in your submissions:
- Your poem/short story, preferably in a Word or Google doc format. (PDFs are okay for reading but the formatting is more troublesome should your piece be chosen for publication!)
- Word count (especially for short stories)
- A short bio of yourself
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How to pitch?
Apart from poetry and short fiction, please do not send unsolicited drafts—we’re a very small team and don’t have the capacity to wade through large volumes of submissions. Even if you’ve already written a draft, it would really help if you could first send a pitch summarising your idea/angle.
You can send pitches for all non-fiction work to our managing editor Kirsten at kirstenhan@mekongreview.com.
Submissions of poetry and short fiction should go to mekongreviewsubmissions@gmail.com. We seek your understanding that it might take some time to get back to you.
Mekong Review is happy for all contributors to make simultaneous submissions to other publications. If your work has been commissioned elsewhere before you hear back from us, please let us know so we can take it out of our list of pitches/submissions to consider!