A NEW YEAR, AND, AN ANNOUNCEMENT!
Happy New Year, Everyone!
We have taken a luxurious leave from the world of production, and in many ways, the world itself. We hope your holiday season included time for rest and reflection as did ours.For almost four years now, since the debut of Whetstone Magazine, we have grown steadily and markedly. After our first three magazines, we began producing videos dispatches from around the world, and also, a short film. From there we moved to podcasts, launching Point of Origin in collaboration with iHeartRadio, and in the summer of 2020 expanded our overall editorial output with the relaunch of our blog, W Journal.
Moving beyond the rigidity of print publishing has given us an opportunity to work with more writers from around the world. Our journey has been full of surprises, and in this foray into digital publishing, perhaps the biggest of them all was the undeniable concentration of exceptional food writing from South Asia. With our call for global submissions, almost immediately we began to see brilliant stories emerge from India, like the story of the Chouriços de Goa from Joanna Lobo, and undoubtedly the inescapable resonance of Vidya Balachander’s article on the legacy of asafoetida (or Perungayam or hing). The depth of the writing and the justifiable breadth of circulation of that article in particular, really set off W Journal, and subsequently a wave of outstanding submissions from the subcontinent.
For weeks and weeks, we (and then you) were treated to some of the most informative and compelling writing about Indian food online today. These articles, from origins of sattu, to the crumbly paba of Ladakh, a celebratory Dham in Himachal Pradesh. From the north Malabar region of Kerala we got a lesson on the role of bananas in Mappila cuisine with the maestra of Malabar Muslim Cookery, Ummi Abdulla. Byway of agriculture there were stories on chikoo to vetiver to durian to moringa. Our submissions from India (and more broadly South Asia) have been remarkable in their quality and persistence.
In facilitating these stories we feel close to our mission, but as ever, there are levels. As we grow, we use our weight to push up, or uplift. This is, “the work”, and the work is a workout. But like any good regiment, results are a catalyst for doing more, not less.
We have done the work of upliftment, and now it’s time to do more. This is a time to invest, not contract. In this spirit we have an announcement we have been aching to share…. Whetstone is seeking an editor to launch an all new vertical on South Asian food history and contemporary food culture. The job is remote and part-time with opportunities for a more permanent role later in the year. We are looking for an experienced editor with deep knowledge of South Asian food culture and cuisines who can launch and lead editorial projects in print and audio.
In the words of food scholar and NYU Prof Krishnendu Ray, “Whetstone is becoming such an intriguing place to read non-elite pieces on Indian food.”
We are humbled. We want for this to continue to be true, and even more true, which is why we are expanding and highlighting this area of our coverage. As we resume W Journal later this month, we hope you all will take some time to review the more than two dozen stories we’ve already published from the subcontinent. And if you think you’re the right fit to work with us in growing our editorial coverage from this part of the world, please email us at workwithus@whetstonemagazine.com.
Our work continues to be possible through your support of our print magazine and we will have details on the release of volume 7 later this week. You can always pitch us at editor@whetstonemagazine.com. Peace, y’all.
With gratitude,
Mel and Stephen
