Fifty issues!!

Even writing that number gives me pause. It certainly is an important milestone. But honestly, when The Wise Owl began, it was never with the intention of reaching a landmark. It started simply—as a need. A need to create space for writing and inclusivity; for conversations that mattered and unfolded at a leisurely pace; for art that invited us into its warm fold. Reaching our 50th issue is undoubtedly a significant moment but it is also a moment of gratitude for all the voices that have travelled with us.

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This issue carries something deeply personal for me. We are spotlighting Reena Puri, Executive Editor of Amar Chitra Katha. Like so many of us, I grew up with these beautifully illustrated comics—turning their pages long before I understood the words “history” or “mythology.” Through Amar Chitra Katha, we absorbed stories from Sanskrit texts, legends, literature, and folklore. They shaped our imagination before we even realised it. I still have some of my favourite comics in my library. Speaking with Reena Puri felt like returning to an old, cherished bookshelf—familiar and comforting, .

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The 50th issue is also a Talking Books Special, and I find particular joy in these conversations. We feature Shailendra Jha, Robert Witmer, and Kavita Ezekiel—three writers working in different registers, yet united by a deep attentiveness to language. Their reflections on their latest books move beyond publication and into process and the reasons we continue to write at all.

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What continues to sustain The Wise Owl is the way poetry and stories find their way to us—from across borders, time zones, and sensibilities. This issue brings together voices from around the world, each distinct, each carrying its own characteristic stamp. That diversity is not curated for effect; it is simply who we are and who we wish to remain.

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In our Reviews section, we engage with Signing in the Air by Malashri Lal—a work marked by grace and intellectual depth—and the quietly devastating film Homebound, which stays with you long after the screen goes dark. The Wise Owl Picks turns to Amitav Ghosh’s Ghost Eye and Kitamura’s Audition, books that resist easy categorisation and reward patient reading.

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The Visual Arts segment takes us to the National Gallery of Modern Art, London, where we spend time with three luminous works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In returning to Impressionism, we return to a way of seeing—of light, intimacy, and fleeting human moments—that feels especially resonant now, when experimental art seems to be the trend.

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As we mark this milestone issue, we are also in the midst of another important journey. The Wise Owl Literary Awards 2026 received an overwhelming number of nominations in its second year—from independent presses doing courageous work to well-established publishers shaping the mainstream. An independent jury of academics, writers, and poets has carefully evaluated the submissions, and this issue carries the longlist across Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction. The shortlist will be announced on 15th January, with the awards ceremony to be held in Chandigarh in February 2026.

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Fifty issues later, The Wise Owl remains what it always was—an invitation. To read slowly. To listen deeply. To stay curious. I am grateful to every writer, artist, reader, and collaborator who has trusted us with their work and their time. This issue belongs as much to them as it does to us.

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Rachna Singh
Editor, The Wise Owl