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, right?
Litehouse’s mission is to bring forth those creative endeavors from exophonic writers, from poetry and fiction to audio poems and personal interviews, with the sole purpose of educating, fostering awareness, and inspiring prolific dialogues around exophony, identity, and language.
#LitehousePride
In celebration of Pride Month, Litehouse supports the exophonic LGBTQ+ writers and poets and their contribution to the literary world.
Read Our Exophonic Poetry
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HEADLIGHTS by Adithya Patil
I imagine myself being hit by a speeding sedan Over…
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ARRIVAL by Evie Groch
When I shut my eyes I am back on the…
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WAR POEM by Akshaya Pawaskar
I am a war poem written in blood that has…
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METAMORPHOSIS by Alexandra Krolikowska
Why chrysalis doesn’t feel pain becoming butterfly? Why snakes are…
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THE LOST BOY by Vishakha Singhania
A wet-eyed toddler, his head bent, Ran for console that…
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THE COVID SKY by Monalisa Parida
There is another sky Ever agitated and unfair And there…
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CITY OF NO STRANGERS by Meliha Šaćirović
Brisk steps over the pavements Kissed by the many drops…
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AMNESIA by Sachin Rana
I will let the sea recite my poems and the…
Fancy an Exophonic Tour?
You can browse your reading by country! Click on each country’s marker and read all the submissions from that location.
Accent-ric Poetry
Pun intended! Accentric Poetry is an initiative to celebrate a different aspect of exophony: the foreign accent! Litehouse is proud to present you a collection of audio poems from exophonic writers, reciting their own poems in their own unique way (and accent).
Read Our Exophonic Fiction
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REMINISCENCE by San Lin Tun
A two-storied brick house appeared before Lwin, who could not…
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THE PENDULUM SWINGS EAST by Jia-An Lee
I replay fragments of the last conversation between our two…
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SHOULD WE BE SO EAGER TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT SALT AND PRESERVE LIFE? by Mariana Gaviria
What is love but a flight atop of a silent…
Interviews with Exophonic Writers
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Interview with Téa Nicolae
“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.”
Litehouse 