We are delighted to announce that The Stinging Fly is one of five independent literary journals and platforms partnering with Chinese literary journal, One-way Street, on its exciting New Voice project.
One-way Street Journal is owned by OWSPACE, a 19-year-old independent bookstore in Beijing. Its New Voice project is supported by Pro Helvetia Shanghai / Swiss Arts Council. The Stinging Fly will be joined by Specimen/The Babel Review of Translations in Switzerland, Jalada Africa in Africa, HEAT in Australia and Cardenal Revista Literaria in Mexico.
New Voice is a programme dedicated to exploring new approaches to literature, and building new spaces for communication and literary collaboration in the post-pandemic era. Over the course of the project, each journal will select works from emerging writers in three forms: the short story, creative non-fiction, and poetry, bringing together a diverse group of eighteen voices whose translated work will feature in an upcoming issue of One-way Street Journal. One-way Street Journal also hopes to invite overseas writers to China for literary residencies and cultural activities. The eighteen chosen pieces will be released to global literary institutions and readers all around the world, encouraging further reading, promotion, and publication.
The project will run from 2023 to 2024, during which time One-way Street Journal will host international online events celebrating the short story, creative non-fiction and poetry. Established writers from Ireland, Africa, Switzerland, Australia and Mexico working in these disciplines will talk about their creative environments, experiences and challenges, and discuss the current state of literature in their countries. It will be a unique opportunity for domestic and international writers and readers to learn more about the creative practices of authors working in different languages and cultures.
Zhao Fang, the editor of One-Way Street Journal, says:
The New Voice Project aims to supplement, even counter single literary standard, to revive communication between different cultures, and restate the spirit of dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity as an indispensable part of human society.
Lisa McInerney, editor of The Stinging Fly magazine, adds:
There are few more profound acts of connection than translation. The act of taking a piece of creative work and sharing it across the world so that others can understand its soul is a beautiful thing, if not a radical act. It’s really exciting to be able to take part in this project and nurture those new connections.
The Stinging Fly will select works for New Voice from submissions to our most recent issues. In the meantime, please keep an eye on our website and our social media accounts (Twitter; Instagram) for further details on the project, and for links to the online public events.