Hello! Merhaba! Salām! 

awhām is an anti-orientalist, queer, feminist platform dedicated to creating a space for the visibility of artists with migrant backgrounds to tell their stories from decolonized and intersectional perspectives.

“Listening in wild places, we are audience to conversations in a language not our own.” ¹

Once held aloft as a beacon of modernity, the elusive promise of progress remains unfulfilled. The misguided desire for separation and the hubristic drive to dominate nature and resource extraction have rendered us aloof to the devastation wrought by our species. Yet, hope remains. awhām Magazine’s forthcoming issue shall delve deeply into the interwoven threads of ecological consciousness, botanical life, and indigenous knowledge, offering a guiding light to navigate us out of this predicament.

We welcome your contributions that approach this theme from a queer and decolonial perspective, interrogating and reckoning with the post-colonial ideologies that have unduly shaped our perceptions of the environment and our relationship with nature. We implore you to imagine and manifest alternate viewpoints that center the environment and plants as sentient entities, one that transcends the mere utility of human needs and is deserving of intrinsic value. 

In awhām Magazine issue #6, we would like to honor and celebrate the profound wisdom of indigenous communities and their deep understanding of the environment, encapsulated within the notion of implicated knowledge. This knowledge, borne of an intimate connection to the land, speaks to the intricate and multilayered relationships that exist between all life forms. In this context, enduring indigeneity emerges as a powerful form of resistance to the persistent forces of settler-colonialism, a steadfast commitment to preserving and protecting the natural world and the native.

We recognize the complexity of this theme and eagerly anticipate your diverse and imaginative contributions. Let us come together to ignite a dialogue on these fundamental issues and explore new avenues of thought and creativity. We implore you to submit your artistic endeavors, including poetry, prose, visual arts, photography, or any other medium that suits your aesthetic inclination.

If you are interested in a potential collaboration, please send us an email at mail@awhammagazine.com 

Deadline for contribution proposals: 30 May 2023

awhām Issue #6 will be released in November 2023. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

1 Excerpt From “Braiding Sweetgrass” Robin Wall Kimmerer