Welcome to Crowstep Journal, a memorial project dedicated to my great, great grandfather and revolutionary Indian poet, Kundur Narayana Menon 1861 - 1936. He was also mentor to India's Poet Laureate, Vallathol Narayana Menon. They were both part of a progressive literary movement in Kerala that turned away from using the exclusive language of Sanskrit, in favour of writing poetry in their regional language of Malayalam. Some common themes in their work were nature, social injustice and the lives of ordinary people.

 

In India, crows are believed to be the spirits of our ancestors and so Crowstep Journal is a space that mainly explores (but is not limited to) themes around ancestry, the natural world, the extra-ordinary in the ordinary and the magic of everyday things. We invite you to submit poems on these themes in fresh, inventive, surprising and unusual ways and encourage broad interpretations. Submissions from all are welcome. Selected work will be published on a rolling basis.

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Crowstep Journal is edited by myself Sujatha Menon and John Herbert (co-editor). Please read our submissions page carefully before sending us your finest work! We very much look forward to reading it.