Online bookstore gives LGBT writing a much-needed platform
Joanna Lobo
Last week marked a year since Section 377 was struck down, and what better way to celebrate this landmark judgement than by making one's presence felt in cyberspace? Shobhana Kumar has given the queer community another reason to celebrate by launching the very first online bookstore on everything queer.
"My reasons for launching the bookstore are partly selfish, since I could not find books on this issue," says Kumar, who will be formally launching the library on July 2. The bookstore we has a selection and non-fiction, from foreign authors. There are over 200 interesting titles covering anthologies, biographies, culture, family, health, history, poetry and politics that are available in most Indian languages.
"Most people find it difficult to walk into a store and search for books on queer stuff. Who wants to face the smirks and the not-so-quiet comments of people?" The bookstore aims to solve that problem, besides providing queer people with a platform to express their creativity Kumar is confident that the online space will inspire more and more talent to come forth and write about their lives. There is a creative cornet where people can post their writings, thoughts and poems and even send in manuscripts.
When Arun Mirchandanio completed his debut book You are not alone, he found himself at a loss in finding a good publisher. "I was rejected 17 times and given just one reason: the subject is not commercially viable," he says queer-INK hopes to change that trend and give a chance to more writers to bring their work out in the open.
Kumar hopes to go into publishing at a later stage, and thereby reduce the need for foreign authors. The books available are not only about coming out or problems faced by the queer community. "I want to provide a more holistic view of what being queer means in this country - from the point of view of families, friends and even coworkers,' says Kumar, who admits that it was books that helped her when she came out publicly some 15 years ago.
Maya Sharma, author of Loving Women, has been writing on women's issues for 15 years. Compared to the earlier years of struggle, Sharma feels that last year's judgement has changed things for queer people, even in the creative field."People are a lot more open and expressive now. There has been a sizeable increase in the number of writers, be it on blogs,in the media and elsewhere," says will succeed, she feels, is in providing these people a more suitable platform that is open,liberal and easily accessible.
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