Asemana Magazine

Asemana Magazine
Asemana Is Listening: Send Us Your Work

An invitation to those writing from the margins and across worlds.

Do your words cross borders, break silence, or bloom in exile?

Asemana Books is more than a publisher—we are a Canada-based platform for diasporic, underrepresented, and politically engaged literature and thought.

As part of our ongoing growth, we’ve launched a Magazine—curated by editor Mahdi Ganjavi and advised by Mansour Noorbakhsh—as a dedicated space for politically engaged, diasporic, and experimental writing: poetry, short fiction, creative essays, literary event reports from Canada and beyond, translations, and critical reflections that embody our editorial values.

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What We’re Looking For:

We invite contributions in English, French, and languages of West Asia and North Africa (with accompanying translations into English or French) that reflect the values of:

  • Diasporic and migrant experience
  • Multilingual storytelling
  • Political resistance and historical memory
  • Decolonial thought and cultural preservation
  • Literary experimentation, hybridity, and radical voice
  • Human Rights and Freedom of Expression

We especially welcome work by racialized, immigrant, queer, and working-class writers whose voices are often marginalized in mainstream outlets.

How to Submit:

  • Send 1–3 poems, or prose between 800–2,500 words as a Word file.
  • Include a short bio (100–150 words) and 1–2 lines about the piece’s context.
  • If submitting a translation, please confirm permission from the original author or rights holder.
  • Email submissions to: [email protected]. Kindly include ‘Attention: Asemana Editor’ in the subject line of your email.
  • Submissions are open on a rolling basis and will be published in the order received.
  • We aim to respond to submissions within 3–4 weeks.
  • Our website is updated regularly—every weekor two weeks, depending on the volume of submissions and editorial capacity.
  • There is no submission fee. We believe in reducing barriers to literary expression, especially for writers from marginalized and underrepresented communities. Submissions are free and open to all, in alignment with our commitment to accessibility, equity, and inclusion.
  • Copyright remains with the author. By submitting your work, you grant us first publication rights (or translation rights, where applicable), but full copyright ownership stays with you.

We do not publish AI-generated work or previously published pieces, unless the work is AI-assisted under expert guidance, or a significantly adapted and expanded version of a previously published piece.

Let’s build a space where literature speaks back—across borders, genres, and histories.


One Poem by Patrick Connors

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Dig-The city of Toronto shut down for most of February.It had been some time since there was so much snowall at once, and we didn’t know how to deal with…

A Story and a Poem by Armenida Qyqja

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The Trap of the Light—During their time at the dinner table, his wife hadn’t managed to get a word from him. He remained silent not only when she had asked…

Three Poems by PJ Yukon

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My brother and I ended up in the system and the system wasn’t kind.Only one of us survived. This poem is a true story.dwightdwight was born bi-racialat a timewhen it…

In Memoria: Parnia Abbasi (2001-2025)

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Three poems by Parnia, published in Vazn-i Donya in December 2022, translated from the Persian by Saba Pakdel.Saba Pakdel is a poet and PhD candidate at the University of Victoria.The…

Two Poems by Diana Manole

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Official Lack of Memory—“Just staple them!” he says, skimming through her CVhard to understand in such a broken English, her referencesin a language that looks to him like kindergarten doodling,and…

Two Poems by Mansour Noorbakhsh

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Author’s NoteDavid C. Brydges, a great friend, a phenomenal poet, left us sadly and unexpectedly in the last week of Apr 2025.I had a chance of meeting him at some…

Three Poems by Elana Wolff

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RefinementOnce there was a brakeman who was so musicalhe became a conductor. One day, transportedby the majesty of the music, he dropped his batonmid-movement.The stick signalled from the stage,Shouldn’t you…

Three Poems by George Elliott Clarke

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Verses Adapted from Sor Juana de la Cruz258. Maitines de la Asunción, Mexico, 1679, & xxxviii. Maitines de la Asunción, Puebla, 1681….–As the sour voice of the sacristanCollared the pews,…

Three Poems by Gordon Phinn

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RightWe laughed at those liesBecause they were, after all,Issued during an election campaign. -We overlooked those liesBecause they were only a sloganIn a cute video with puppies. -We ignored those…

New from Asemana Books: Shape of Extinction by Bijan Jalali

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Published by Asemana BooksShape of ExtinctionPoems by Bijan JalaliTranslated from the Persian by Adeeba Shahid Talukder and Aria FaniPreface by Domenico IngenitoCritical Introduction by Aria FaniCover illustration and artwork by…
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