about us
Malashri Ragini (1640), Madhya Pradesh, India (accession no. F1924.7)
Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. Open access/CC0.
we don't want to see surface-level pieces on how biryani tastes or what diwali is; we know that. we want to see unconventional, honest works that explore a past, present, and future of cultural injustice and south asian representation.
we welcome new & experienced south asian creators ages 13-25 to submit. while we don't offer guaranteed publishing for our general submissions, we want to create a space where new creators can grow, learn from feedback & opportunities for revision, and submit without judgement. our goal is to house an authentic, beautiful archive of south asian creative works, full of unique genres, artistic styles, and viewpoints.
the lotus paper is a non-commercial, youth-led digital literary & art magazine dedicated to recognizing the south asian community through bold, honest, and unconventional creative works.
the lotus flower is a common symbol within many south asian cultures, representing beauty and resilience, as it rises among murky waters. we're looking for creative works represent both the lotus, but the waters surrounding it as well: the struggles of being south asian, whether it's with your religion, culture, family, or the people around you.
our structure:
a unique feature of the lotus paper is that we provide individual recognition for all accepted works; each accepted submission will be featured on separate posts on our social media sites. However, once we gain more submissions, we’ll shift to creating seasonal anthologies of all published works, while keeping the individual recognition.
contributors whose works stand out to our editors will be invited for an interview and considered for a letter of recommendation from our editor-in-chief.
Kandyan chief processing to a temple (19th century), Sri Lanka, Kandy district (object 2019.143)
Courtesy of the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum. Open access.
our response time will be around 2-6 weeks.
unfortunately, we do not offer guaranteed publishing. however, we aren’t too selective either. works may be rejected, accepted with edits, or accepted. the most likely case would be accepted with edits; we aim to build a space where both new and experienced voices are highlighted.
our team of editors will give you detailed feedback on your piece if you indicate so on our form.
we may occasionally partner with other magazines for special issues.
