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“To me, being an exophonic writer means that this grand, beautifully interwoven and formidable world is my home. I am not bound to any place and I can make my home in those around me.”
Téa Nicolae
what is exophony?
Exophony is the practice of writing in a language that is not one’s mother tongue.
Imagine writing a love poem in your native language. Or a fictional story about your existential crises. Imagine having to follow a specific rhyme, eloquently convey your emotions, create unique and three-dimensional characters. Now, imagine doing that in another language. Sounds impossible?
Litehouse’s mission is to educate and ignite thought-provoking dialogues around exophony, identity, and language; but more importantly, it is a platform that connects and brings people together through their written words.
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Why Is Exophony Important?
Exophony is not just a literary genre but a bridge to understanding and a testament to human adaptability. How does exophony reshape our notions of identity and belonging and reveal the nature of human resilience in the face of language and cultural shifts?
POETRY
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AUDIO POEMS
This is all about the diversity of accents and the authenticity that comes with each voice. Being exophonic means to embrace the embarrassment and stigma that can come with foreign accents and understanding that vulnerability and imperfection are integral to genuine expression.
MOST READ
TRAVEL & READ
You can browse your reading by country! Click on each country’s marker and read all the submissions from the selected location.
FICTION
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BREW by W. J. Manares
The antique coffee shop opened early in the morning. Without any customer, Uncle Lucas was still optimistic, full of…
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THE MYSTERY OF OSTRICH LEGS IN A EUROPEAN FOREST by Julia Elizabeth Graves
Here, in almost-eastern Europe, everything seems surprising. A spider bigger than a fingernail, an animal older than a human,…
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REMINISCENCE by San Lin Tun
A two-storied brick house appeared before Lwin, who could not believe his eyes, when his childhood friend pointed at…
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“Nothing can ever happen twice.”—Wislawa Szymborska My daughter Marianne sat at the left corner of the bench, with impatience plastered on her face. It was seven in the morning, and the bus did not arrive…
FROM ASIA
BILINGUAL POETRY
FROM AFRICA WITH LOVE
LITEHOUSEPRIDE
LitehousePRIDE is dedicated to supporting the exophonic LGBTQ+ writers and poets and their contribution to the literary world. This section features a diverse array of works, including poems, fiction, and audio poems, showcasing the unique voices and perspectives of these individuals.
Litehouse 