Exclusive website launched for South Asian women's writings

THE British Council, along with editors Mini Krishnan and Rakshanda Jalil, has launched a website for women's writing from South Asia: www.womenswriting.com.

The site intends to promote internationally, voices that are less frequently heard and, therefore, focuses only on writing from women who live and work in the region.

The site features a unique, searchable database containing up-to-date profiles and work from some of South Asia's most talented women writers — short excerpts, biographies, bibliographies, prizes and photographs.

The site developed from a conference organised by the British Council India in 2003, UKSAWWC, which brought together women writers from the U.K. and South Asia, many for the first time. The database can be searched by author, genre and nationality.

The site also features information on major literary prizes, literary events taking place in the U.K., in South Asia and across the British Council's international network, literature resources developed by the British Council and details on the best creative writing courses in the U.K.

Each month, a new writer is profiled in detail and, for registered users, a monthly news email is sent out to alert members to upcoming events, online web chats and new features on the site. Women writers can also apply for password-protected access to the site's notice board, which aims to create a network for women writers to share their experiences and concerns.

Currently, the site has work by the following authors: Jayanti Naik, Abburi Chaya Devi, Bulbul Sharma, Indira Varma, Indu K. Mallah, Kunandika Kapadia, Lekshmy Rajeev, Madhu Kishwar, Mamang Dai, Vijaya Lakshmi, Shanta Gokhale, Susie Tharu and Vasantha Surya.