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Literature, PoetryJuly 13, 2016

A Pakistani Poet’s Complaint

Real Characters by Allen Forrest. Image courtesy of the artist.

Real Characters by Allen Forrest. Image courtesy of the artist.

The muse has abandoned me for others—
a scheduling conflict (I am told)
And Apollo only showers acclaim and accolade
on the hesitant, reluctant
crop of Pakistan’s 9/11 English language novelists
with their liberal credentials, hurt countenances:
No “stirrer-up of strife,” no Betrans de Born,
No Mahmood Mamdani among them
No honest-to-God anti-imperialism
only faked nuance
no sestinas, no Altafortes, no besiegements,
only beseechments.
~ Raza Ali Hasan

Raza Ali Hasan was born in Chittagong, and grew up in Indonesia and Pakistan. After moving to the United States, he received an MFA from Syracuse University. He currently lives in Boulder and has taught at the University of Colorado and Iowa State University. Hasan’s poetry collections include ‘Grieving Shias’ (2006) and ‘67 mogul miniatures’ (2008). In a review of the latter collection, Daniel Dissinger wrote that Hasan “constructs a sprawling world that fits in the palm of your hand.”

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One last love letter...

April 24, 2021

It has taken us some time and patience to come to this decision. TMS would not have seen the success that it did without our readers and the tireless team that ran the magazine for the better part of eight years.

But… all good things must come to an end, especially when we look at the ever-expanding art and literary landscape in Pakistan, the country of the magazine’s birth.

We are amazed and proud of what the next generation of creators are working with, the themes they are featuring, and their inclusivity in the diversity of voices they are publishing. When TMS began, this was the world we envisioned…

Though the magazine has closed and our submissions shuttered, this website will remain open for the foreseeable future as an archive of the great work we published and the astounding collection of diverse voices we were privileged to feature.

If, however, someone is interested in picking up the baton, please email Maryam Piracha, the editor, at maryamp@themissingslate.com.

Farewell, fam! It’s been quite a ride.

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