About

We are an informal collective of readers, writers and translators who are passionate about literature being written in Kazakhstan.

Our Mission

The mission of this blog is to make this literature more visible by writing reviews of new works, interviewing authors, celebrating good news, etc.

Nina Murray is a Ukrainian-born American poet and translator. She holds advanced degrees in linguistics and creative writing. She is the author of the poetry collection Alcestis in the Underworld (Circling Rivers Press, 2019) as well as chapbooks Minimize Considered (Finishing Line Press, 2018), Minor Heresies (Heartland Review Press, 2020), and Damascus Electric (free to download from Pen & Anvil Press, 2020). Her translations from the Ukrainian include Oksana Zabuzhko The Museum of Abandoned Secrets and Oksana Lutsyshyna’s Ivan and Phoebe (forthcoming).

Aisulu Beken is a writer from Kazakhstan. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Germany, and is a graduate of the prose seminar at the Almaty Open Literary School and the online writing course “Litpraktikum: base” by Ilya Odegov. She participated in the workshop Word/Movement of the IWP program (University of Iowa) and in the literary project Grand Tour Zenralasien from the Goethe Institut, which aims to translate and promote the work of young poets from Germany and Central Asia. Her story “The Road Home” has been published in the Russian literary journal “Literratura”.

Valeria Krutova is a novelist and short story writer from Kazakhstan. She holds a degree in law. She took part in the 18th and 19th Young Writers’ Forums of the SEIP Foundation. Her works have been published in the journal “Friendship of Peoples”, “Youth”, in the literary online magazines “Daktil”, “Literratura”, “Formaslov,” the literary magazine “Autograph”, the literary almanac “LiterraNova”(2018) and in the prose collection “The Road without End.”

Dana Kanafina is an author from Kazakhstan. She writes prose and essays and works part-time as a journalist. Dana is a graduate of the Summer School of Almaty Open Literature School for Young Writers (2017), Between The Lines of the International Writing Program (2019), Fem-Writing with Oksana Vasyakina and Galyna Rymbu (2020), Get Dusty Creative Writing Seminars with Anna Poloniy (2020), and Almaty Open Literature School (2021). Her works have been published in “Literatura” and “Daktil” online magazines, as well at the “MindMelt Worldwide” media space. The main themes in Dana’s works are alienation and trauma.

Alyona Timofeyeva is a writer, essayist, and drama critic from Kazakhstan. She is an alumna of Open Literature School of Almaty second-level prose and young writers programs. Alyona participated in Word/Movement  workshop by the International Writing Program. Her work has appeared in “Daktil” literary magazine,  «Литературная Алма-Ата» almanac, and on the internet (Manshuq, Әдеби портал, 5Q Media, Steppe, Orda). She studies international affairs at the KIMEP University.