KATHMANDU, JANUARY 4
Publication house Nepalaya is set to release the works of 75 young writers under the age of 25, including 25 storytellers, 25 poets, and 25 essayists, selected through a global open call.
In a statement, Nepalaya said it launched the call on January 1, 2025, under the theme "25×25 in 2025", and received over 600 submissions from writers born after January 1, 2000.
A three-member jury-poet Shrawan Mukarung, novelist Narayan Wagle, and writer Bhushita Vasistha-reviewed the submissions and selected the final works. Wagle noted that the new generation's stories demonstrate originality, strong literary craft, and a keen awareness of contemporary social issues. Mukarung observed that the selected poets engage deeply with both personal experiences and the realities of their time.
Vasistha added that the chosen essays reflect literary confidence, thematic diversity, and evolving stylistic approaches. In keeping with its open-language policy, Nepalaya will publish all selected works in their original languages.
Kiran Krishna Shrestha, team leader at Nepalaya, said the initiative aims to capture how the new generation thinks and expresses itself creatively. Marking 20 years since the publication of Palpasa Café, he added that the project seeks to introduce readers to fresh literary voices of the 21st century. Shrestha also noted that around 40 percent of the selected writers are women.
According to Nepalaya, it plans to publish the selected works in three genre-specific volumes, one each for storytelling, poetry, and essays.
