"Clearing a Little Space at the Table." A Chat With Iris Law & Mia Malhotra, Editors of Lantern Review

Yes, yes, I promised fewer emails. But don’t you want to hear about the latest editor interview that has wrapped? Of course you do.

Today I spoke with Iris Law and Mia Malhotra, Editors of Lantern Review. This magazine is dedicated to publishing poetry by Asian Americans. While there are specifications in how the submitting poet should identify, there are no restrictions in subject matter or theme. The editors seek a broad range of topics and viewpoints, expressed formally or in free verse.

The story of this journal’s founding tugged on my heartstrings. These two met in college, and the magazine is strongly rooted in their long-lasting friendship. (Mia cited this friendship also as one of the reasons she continues to do the work of editing a lit mag, amidst the many other demands of daily life.)

Iris and Mia felt compelled to create the magazine during their MFA programs, when they found a dearth of poets that reflected their own backgrounds and experiences. Since the journal’s start in 2010, much has changed in the literary world for the better in terms of representation. Yet Mia and Iris still stress the need for a space exclusively for Asian American poets (while hoping readers of all backgrounds will take interest in the exciting work published here!)

Lantern Review publishes three issues per year, all online. They also publish reviews of books by Asian American writers. Submissions are open for the month of January only. In the meantime, be sure to check out the archive of poems on the site.

Oh, and if you have a strong desire to get more involved with this magazine as an intern, you should reach out to Iris. editors@lanternreview.com

Thank you to all who came out to join in today’s discussion! And a huge thank you to Iris and Mia for taking this time to shed some light on yet another lovely little magazine.

Happy viewing!

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