“You can’t hammer a nail in with words…”
“No, but you can start a war.”
—Ben Galley
Litro Magazine has always said: Stories transport you. Which, secretly, might be another way of saying: Words can change the world. It’s what we’ve always believed, anyway. Because words, language, through reading, arrives in the mind like pure thought, unmediated, like telepathy – the writer’s ideas, her words, right there in your brain. And once they’re in so deep, you can’t help them from changing your consciousness, like it or not. And once one person’s changed, soon another will follow, and another… And so – like magic – words can change the world.
Litro has always sought to provide a platform, both online and in print (distributed for free), for a great diverse, inclusive load of rich, varied, multicultural voices – from all backgrounds and ages, from London and from anywhere in the country and from anywhere in the world
We don’t discriminate on age, but more and more we’re feeling the importance, the rising power, of young people’s voices. There’s such vibrancy, such energy and joy, just waiting to be let out … and it’s so exciting to discover such voices that not only feel they can change the world, but know that they will.
Anyway, that’s the kind of thing Litro happens to believe, the kind of thing Litro’s always gone all-in for. Words have power. Words change minds, change hearts, change everything. Each one is free yet has great value.
We respect the word. It’s our lifeblood. We have published millions of words, in the right order, and shared them with the world.
It is a world without boundaries where every voice is equal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a strutting peacock in Sri Lanka or a bashful woman in Bangladesh, you are welcomed into our pages as long as you have a good story to tell.
We started small, knocking up magazines on my kitchen table and giving them away for free (we still do). Over a decade later, we now host literary festivals across the globe. We are based in Somerset House, the largest arts centre in the UK with a second office in New York. We have a global reputation, a six-figure readership and have launched many careers.
And although we place such a high value on words, they cost nothing. So what’s stopping you? Don’t give up, keep writing, developing your voice, and finding ways to be heard. We’re rooting for you.
Eric Akoto is the founder of Litro, a literary arts platform that publishes both emerging and established talent, bringing readers the best new writing from around the world. In 2018, Litro is increasing its print run, commissioning more work, and publishing two World Series editions featuring writers from India and South Korea.
