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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IDEOLOGY AS A WAY OF LIFE by Tali Cohen Shabtai
Women like me, yes have been added over the years…
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MORNING PAPERS IN YOUR EYES by Bhuwan Thapaliya
I’m stretching my arms toward eternity in search of you…
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THE SILENCE OF OTHERS by Anastasia Frantzeskou
Barefoot in a life that was designed to step in…
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HOSTILITY by Morice Marcuse
Fear grows, where sky meets snow. How to become ancestors,…
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SENTIMENTAL IMPONDERABILITY by Tatiana Ernuteanu
A blue room Divided in spring and north The shadows…
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THE NIGHT SKY IS A GRAVEYARD OF STARS by Nadine Lacuarta
The night sky is just a graveyard of stars that…
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RIVALRY WITH THE SUN by Anindita Sarkar
The breeze greets her She interprets— a hard day ahead,…
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SONG OF THE SEAMAN by Tonmoi Das Kashyap
Walking along the sea beach; amid the sleepless nights, I…
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 