Call for Short Stories

Anthology Title: 1947 Partition: Third-Generation Tales from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Beyond (An Anthology of Short Stories)

We invite young and enthusiastic writers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and beyond in the diasporic communities to contribute to a forthcoming anthology of short stories centered on the first generational experiences of the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, as remembered, retold, and reimagined by the third generation. This project is particularly interested in pieces that engage with inherited memory, emotional landscapes, and the act of retelling across generations, whether through personal narrative, creative nonfiction, or hybrid forms.

Overview

This anthology is a tribute to the unrecorded voices, fragmented memories, and unsaid goodbyes carried through generations. If your grandparents told you the partition stories that changed you, this is your moment to preserve them in the pages of history. It aims to capture how memories of partition - stories of migration, loss, trauma, suffering, resilience, and hope - have been transmitted across generations and continue to shape identities today. This anthology seeks to bring the shared trauma, suffering, and loss during the partition of the Subcontinent to light. With an approach rooted in revisionist history, we particularly welcome narratives that challenge dominant historiographics, shed light on lesser-known personal and collective experiences in ways they shape identity, belonging, and memory.

The anthology will include four thematic sections:

1. Third-Generation Tales from India

2. Third-Generation Tales from Pakistan

3. Third-Generation Tales from Bangladesh

4. Beyond Borders: Diasporic Partition Narratives

Selected stories will be published in print. Contributors will receive a complimentary copy of the anthology.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be made using this Google Form:
 Submit Your Story Here (https://forms.gle/PctXHcdSVzXctsK58) by 30 September 2025.

• If you are currently enrolled in a college or university, we especially encourage you to submit.
• Originality: Submissions should be original and unpublished, with a length between 1,000 and 2,500 words.
• Language: Please submit your story in English.
• Submission Checklist: Your entry should include:

1. Your complete name
2. Your current affiliation (if any)
3. Your email address
4. Manuscript
5. A brief bio of up to 100 words.

Formatting Guidelines

• Font: Times New Roman, size 12

• Spacing: 1.15

• Margins: 1 inch on all sides

• Alignment: Justified 

• File Format: MS Word Document 

• File Naming: Author Name_ Story Title.docx

• Language: English

Important Dates

Submission Deadline: 30 September 2025.

Acceptance Notifications: 1 November 2025.

Editors: Dr. Muhammad Numan (UMT, Lahore), Prof. Dr. Muhammad Safeer Awan (NUML, Islamabad)

Contact Details

For any questions, please feel free to write to: 

Dr. Muhammad Numan

School of Liberal Arts, UMT, Lahore

muhammad.nauman@umt.edu.pk or nauman.sa18@gmail.com

Editorial Team: Siddiqua Iftikhar, Faham Zeeshan, Khadija Qurban 

We look forward to reading your stories and preserving these important memories together.