This month marks the first anniversary of the international literary journal, Portside Review. The journal is published four times a year and it promotes cross-cultural community creations from collaborators across the Indian Ocean. Their latest issue is also their first fully bilingual journal! To celebrate this achievement, Portside Review is sharing some pieces from their latest issue for you to read for free.

Immerse yourself in the stunningly exhilarating audio travelogue, by artists of Arka Kinari, lands on the coast of the whaling village of Lamakera, at the eastern edge of Indonesia, in Dawn Find Us.  And take some time to read Indonesian fiction, non-fiction, essays and poetry, like this beautiful piece by Agung Setaiwan, translated from Indonesian into English by Sebastian Partogi, below.

Beyond Compare

Tertara

From there, in an island, not distant

Dari sana, di sebuah pulau, tak jauh 

I observed, without staying, with closeness

Aku menatap, tak menetap, dari dekat 

How beautiful, beyond compare, so clear

Indanya, tiada tara, begitu kentara 

Within this body, we are equal

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