"Much of what is genuinely culturally exhilarating and new unfolds in languages and nations largely unknown to us... Thank goodness, then, for Glossolalia, here to provide us lazy Anglophones, recurringly, with irresistible exhilarations."  
                                                                               -Claire Messud 

Nine European-centric languages account for approximately 90% of the world’s literary translations, and a majority of those translations are from English into other languages. With such poor representation, we have to ask: What important stories, poetry, and nonfiction are we missing when so many of the world’s languages aren’t translated?

Glossolalia intends to answer that question, issue by issue, by exploring the literary and narrative trends of some of the world’s least translated territories. Each issue will be co-edited by local editors with knowledge of the most current and relevant arts movements to publish exciting new fiction, poetry, essays, graphic narratives, and new literary forms being developed. We hope that the magazine will eventually turn into a positive way to bring compelling new projects to English-reading audiences and publishers.

Issue 1: Africa

Glossolalia's first issue, Passages: Africa, co-edited by Billy Kahora of Kwani?, focuses on LGBT literature, features 16 pieces from across the continent with works translated from Swahili, French, and Portuguese, and includes a broad range of writing—from a new story by Caine Prize-winner Rotimi Babatunde to an anonymous flash memoir by Bree, an emerging writer from Nigeria who chose to submit her piece under a pseudonym in fear of being attacked for her sexuality. 

Issue 2: Women
Writing Brazil

Glossolalia’s second issue, Women Writing Brazil was co-edited by Eric M. Becker and Mirna Quieroz Dos Santos. The all female lineup was inspired by, and a response to, machismo comments made by male Brazilian writers at the 2015 Festa Literária Internacional de Paraty (FLIP Festival) that “there are no great female writers in Brazil.” 

Eliane Brum’s piece, "João and Raimunda," is a must-read that focuses on the underprivileged communities in São Paulo and the Amazon. Lygia Fagundes Telles’ wry, Orwellian story, "Seminar on the Extermination of Rats," is a grim critique of the Brazilian military dictatorship of the 1970s. Julia Moraes, the visual artist whose proud, tender exploration of intimacy and family is showcased in a portfolio and on the cover (a self portrait), came recommended by the women's and LGBT rights activist Thiago Carrapatoso in Brazil.