Kartika Review - an Asian American Literary Journal

Kartika Review is a national literary arts magazine that publishes Asian American fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and art. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization sponsored by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC). Kartika launched in September 2007 and has since published original works by David Mura, Russell Leong, Min Jin Lee, Tess Gerritsen, Peter Bacho, Porochista Khakpour, Bryan Thao Worra, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Don Lee, Alexander Chee, and many more. We have interviewed writers such as Yiyun Li, Peter Ho Davies, Jamie Ford, Nami Mun, Suheir Hammad, among others.

Kartika Review serves the Asian American community and those involved with Diasporic Asian-inspired literature. We scout for compelling Asian American creative writing and artwork to present to the public at large. Our editors actively solicit contributions from established virtuosos in our community in hopes their works here will inspire the next generation of virtuosos. We also want to promote emerging writers and artists we foresee to be the future powerhouses of their craft. Ultimately, Kartika strives to create a literary forum that caters to and celebrates the wordsmiths of the Asian Diaspora.

In Vajrayana (or Tibetan) Buddhist tradition, the kartika, a crescent-shaped knife, symbolizes the cutting away of ignorance and superficiality, with the hopes that it will lead to enlightenment. The kartika is kept close during deep meditation or prayer. It serves mainly as a metaphorical reminder of our self-determined life missions and never is it actually wielded in the offensive against others. We took on this namesake because the kartika best represents this journal’s vision.