Call for Submissions - TSLR 3, Summer 2018 Edition

We're back at it again! Our next print issue comes out in summer 2018, and the team at TSLR have been happily reading incoming submissions. 

The deadline to submit for our winter print issue is February 15. Please mosey on over to our Submittable page to send in your work.

We are interested in art and criticism about urbanism, globalism, identity, and transnationalism, though by no means should submissions be limited to those topics. We'll publish a good story about cats in Africa if it floors us. Selected works will be published in print and after a delay, all pieces will be available online as well. TSLR sells in a growing number of stores in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Beijing, and London. 

We publish: 

  • Fiction - less than 5,000 words
  • Poetry - 2 poems submission limit per person
  • Non-Fiction - less than 5,000 words
  • Flash Fiction / Non-Fiction - less than 500 words
  • Visual Art - photography, video, photo essay, collage, painting, sketch, etc.
  • Translation - translation into English of any poetry, essay or short fiction, or vice versa, along with the original text
  • Book Review - pitch book review ideas to tslrbookreviews@gmail.com 

To submit online, please visit our online submissions manager. 

We will only publish previously unpublished pieces. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please just let us know promptly if your submission has been accepted elsewhere. All published authors of the print edition will be mailed a hard copy of their magazine at no cost.

Translators, please provide documentation of authorization to translate and publish from the writer whom you are translating.

NYC Issue Two Launch Party @ The Asian American Writers' Workshop

Please join us in New York City for the US launch of our second issue. Nancy Huang, Jianan Qian, Joy Huang Stoffers, Jeremy Tiang, and Julie Wenglinski will be sharing their work from the magazine. Thursday, January 18, 7pm, admission free. 

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Asian American Writers' Workshop
112 W 27th St Suite 600
New York, NY 10001

RSVP to reserve your seat through Eventbrite. Visit the Asian American Writers' Workshop website for more details. 

Happy New Year from Team TSLR! 

2017 was a landmark and successful year for us, in no small part thanks to you - our dear readers and friends. Our goal was both simple and ambitious: to publish two magazines. We are so happy we were able to fulfill our mission thus far.

If you haven't gotten your TSLR one or two, please head over to our website store.

If you haven't gotten your TSLR one or two, please head over to our website store.

In 2018, we will be bringing you TSLR 3 & 4, as well as our special edition book Concrete: essays and photography about Chinese cities. Writings have mostly been selected, and art decisions are on making their way out shortly. We will be continuing our TSLR Book Club, run by Megan Cattel, and we have a slew of fun events in the pipeline for the next year. If you're interested in helping out with the TSLR team or working on some events together, please get in touch at shanghailiterary@gmail.com.

That being said...

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We are currently calling for submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, translation, and book reviews for TSLR Issue 3. The deadline to submit is February 15. Please see our website submissions page for more information.  

Thanks so much for your support and friendship this past year, and we wish you all the best in 2018!

Issue Two - Shanghai Launch Party Recap

Thank you for coming out on Saturday night to help us launch TSLR Issue Two! For the first time, the editors of TSLR took the stage to discuss the inner workings of the magazine, a few of our favorite pieces (well, that's all of them...), and the editorial process. We were also so grateful to answer your many thoughtful and thought provoking questions. 

From the Shanghai team, we were happy to have Alex Gobin, Colum Murphy, Ryan Thorpe, Kenny Ong, Juli Min, Fuping Shao, and Steph Bailey. 

Photos by Alejandro Caceres @acv25

After the panel, we invited Ronald Paredes, the Issue Two contributor who was able to attend the party that night, to speak about his piece The March of the Invaders. He gave us insight into his wood carving process and the story behind his work, which is inspired by both the events in Nanjing's wartime history as well as his own perspective as a foreigner in China. 

The Shanghai Literary Review is so proud of our new issue, and we're so glad to get it out into you hands. Please visit our web store or our WeChat store for more information.

Now, what's next up for TSLR? 

  • 1/18/2018 - Our New York City Issue Two launch party will be happening at the AAWW, and many of our stateside contributors will be there to read and discuss their works. Watch this space for details. 
  • 2/15/2018 - The deadline to submit for TSLR Issue Three
  • April/May - TSLR will be launching our first special edition publication, Concrete, a collection of essays and photo-essays about Chinese cities.

If you have any questions or feedback about the issue or about any of our upcoming projects, please get in touch at shanghailiterary@gmail.com! We also love to see photos of our magazine and our readers in various place and contexts; please tag us @shanghailiterary on Instagram or Facebook if you have photographs related to TSLR. 

Cover Art Winner for TSLR Issue Two

The Shanghai Literary Review is honored and excited to announce the winner of our Issue Two Cover Art Contest: Olufemi Lawal, for his photograph "Cracks." Lawal's piece will be used as the cover of our next issue, forthcoming in December 2017.

"Cracks," Olufemi Lawal

"Cracks," Olufemi Lawal

On shooting "Cracks," Lawal told TSLR:

"For me, humans are the most interesting subjects to photograph. I mostly take photos of friends and after every photo shoot I feel like I've gotten to see a different aspect to that person. Capturing moments that go by too quickly in real life to really take note of, moments that they don't get to see in selfies and 'perfect photos' to post online. 
Njeri (the model photographed in 'Cracks') is a very warm and kind person who has the most beautiful smile and smiles a lot! But knowing her I could also tell that she has a lot of depth; a side to her that most people don't get to see, and this rarely seen side was what I was hoping to capture. 
While scouting for locations on that chilly July morning in Tianjin, We came across this abandoned building that had been marked for demolition. 
In the building there was a lot of debris all around, there was feces on the ground, and signs of habitation in some rooms. We made our way to one of the top floors which looked completed abandoned. 
There was something about the vibe of the place: the decay, the sunlight breaking in through places where windows used to be, the cracks in the wall, the remnants of what used to be someone's home. That vibe gave the photo shoot some solemnity and it was during one of those moments of solemnity that 'Cracks' was taken. 
For me the photo represents the unique cracks each of us have and the endless quest of trying to improve ourselves."
Olufemi Lawal

Olufemi Lawal

Olufemi Lawal is a Nigerian artist based in China. He spends his time on creative pursuits like photography, poetry, singing, song writing and improv.

Njeri Kamau is a Kenyan model and student. Currently based in Tianjin, China, she spends her free time reading philosophy books, travelling and teaching. 

All shortlisted finalists for the Winter 2017 Cover Art Contest have been accepted as visual pieces within the magazine, as well as additional photographs by Lawal. Thank you to everyone who submitted.

To pre-order a copy of Issue Two (currently being edited and prepared for the printing presses), please visit our online store. 

Our Issue Two launch parties will be held in Shanghai, on Saturday, December 16 at My Place Ruin Bar & in New York City, on Thursday, January 18 at The Asian American Writers Workshop. Stay tuned for details.