This newsletter is published every Wednesday.
1. Instincts Magazine Call for Entries
Instincts! is a collection of short stories exploring the intricacies of the human experience. We are looking for submissions for the next printed issue with theme: our sensitivities. “"Our Sensitivities" is about our individual sparks. It's about the song that makes you cry and the smell that reminds you of your first day of school. It's about our individual tastes that makes us who we are. What do you see in the world that no one else does?”—Instincts!
Deadline: 1st March 2024. | Renumeration: Unstated
Things to note:
Please submit files as a pdf
Images should be 72dpi CMYK
Please use the following naming convention: Summer2023.Category_Listed.ArtistName.Title_of_work.Yearofproduction
Categories include: Illustrations, Comics, Short Comics, Flashfiction, Longer Prose, Poetry and Critical Essays (exploring women's rights, women's health and women's history.)
To find out more about each category and to submit, click the button below.
2. The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2024
The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize is awarded by The Alpine Fellowship, a charitable foundation that supports, commissions and showcases artists, writers, academics and playwrights.. The 2024 Prize will be awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of ‘Language’.
Deadline: 1st March 2024, 23:59 (UK time) | Prize: Total of £5,000 + full sponsorship to symposium.
Rules:
All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction and non-academic essays.
Open to all nationalities.
Applicants must be aged 18 or above at the time of entry.
All entries must be written in English.
Applicants can only enter one of our prizes.
Limited to one entry per person.
Submissions must be standalone and cannot be extracted from a larger piece.
A maximum of 2,500 words per entry.
Stories must not have been published (not including self-published), or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time.
Travel expenses can be used for economy travel costs only and are not exchangeable for cash, any leftover travel budget will not be redeemed as cash.
Travel expenses can be used for transport only, and can not be used towards accommodation outside of the dates of our symposium.
Submissions will be judged anonymously, so please ensure that your name does not appear anywhere on your work.
Apply to Alpine by clicking here.
3. Doek Magazine: Call for Creative Nonfiction
Doek! is a free, independent, and Pan-African online literary magazine produced in Windhoek, Namibia. The editorial team is interested in considering submissions that discuss a wide variety of topics in interesting styles; prospective nonfiction writers and visual artists should read previous issues of Doek! to see the themes and topics that have been previously explored.
Deadline: 29th February 2024. | Renumeration: unstated
Submission guidelines:
Writers must be Namibian citizens living in the country or in the diaspora (outside Namibia); or African writers, or those of African descent, living on the continent or in the diaspora (such as North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, or elsewhere).
Only original work will be considered. Previously published work (in any medium, including social media or personal blogs) is not accepted.
Novels and manuscript excerpts, film scripts and plays, journalistic reportage or columns, management or business guides, and “self-help” texts are not eligible for consideration.
Submissions must be written in English. Writers and poets may use words or phrases from any of Namibia’s indigenous languages provided their meaning can be understood within the text (without resort to glossaries or footnotes).
Submissions must be typed: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 2.0 line spacing. They can be sent in any of the following formats: Microsoft Word (.docx and .doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and plain text (.txt). It must not exceed 4000words.
The submitted document should only contain the title and the body text of the submission. No identifying details (name, contact number, or email address) may be used in the filename or be placed anywhere in the submission document.
Simultaneous submissions (submissions which have been sent to other literary magazines) are permitted and should be retracted when accepted for publication elsewhere.
Writers and artists must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submitting their writings.
4. Isele Magazine Call for Submissions on Grief
“For this quarterly issue of Isele Magazine, we are seeking submissions that revolve around grief. Grief from losing a loved one. Grief from giving up on your dreams and aspirations. Grief from living in a broken world. Grief from losing your health and bodily functions. Grief from losing your job. Grief from losing an animal companion. We want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, visual art, and hybrid works that explore this theme.”—Isele
Deadline: 29th February 2024. | Compensation: unstated
Guidelines:
All submissions for the quarterly issue should be sent to quarterly@iselemagazine.com. The email subject line should read Genre: Lastname (e.g. Poetry: Angelou).
We DO NOT accept multiple submissions. Please submit to one genre only.
For fiction and nonfiction, submit max. 5000 words of prose.
For poetry, submit max. 3 poems in a single document.
For photography and visual art, submit max. 5 images in JPEG or PNG format and include a brief note detailing the concept and relevance of your work. Only submit work that you still retain the rights to. We DO NOT accept AI-generated images or artwork.
For prose (fiction and nonfiction) and poetry, we DO NOT publish previously published works (by this, we mean any piece that has appeared on the web or in print, including your personal blog). However, we will consider a translated version of the work if the original language wasn’t in English. For photography and visual art, we may publish works that have been previously published, posted, or exhibited as long as the artist still retains the rights.
Simultaneous submissions are okay but please notify us as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere
All accepted submissions are automatically considered for The Isele Prizes.
5. Lọúnlọún, Pan-African Literary Journal for Historical Fiction
Lọúnlọún was founded by Nigerian writer Victor Ola-Matthew on December 25, 2023 as a literary journal focused on historical fiction set during historical events that have shaped and defined places and times in Africa, as well as the experiences of those who lived through the events, or didn’t. They are now accepting historical fiction for the next issue.
Deadline: 26th February 2024. | Renumeration: unstated
Submission guidelines:
African writers, and those of African descent, home and abroad, are eligible to submit.
Only submissions in fiction are accepted, with a 2000 to 5000 word range.
Only original pieces will be considered. Previously published pieces are not accepted.
Submissions should be in Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced, and submitted in Word document format.
Submissions should be in English, or translated to English. Writers are however allowed creative freedom with the expression of their languages.
Submissions must be based on an event that has happened on the continent, or affected the continent, regardless of where characters in the telling are located.
Submissions may contain photos, if desired, with appropriate source crediting. This is however not a guarantee it will be used.
Submissions must contain a brief historical setting description (max 3 sentences) which could either describe the historical events in telling, dedicate the work to the event and/or lives in telling, or both.
Submissions must have at least two references, with links, to the historical events in telling.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but let us know promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
To submit your work, send an email to submissions@lounloun.com with the subject ‘Fiction Submission.’ In the body of the email include your third-person bio and attach the story. Please ensure the story has references and is in Word document format.
Source: Brittle Paper
6. Get Featured: Early African Writer Series
African Writer Weekly is inviting writers of African descent who are in the early stages of their writing career for an opportunity to have their profile and poetry/prose featured on its monthly publication—Early African Writer Series
Deadline: 25th of each month. | Prize: Feature publication
How to apply:
Email us your name and desired publication here with the title of this series as your headline.
Kindly note that for February’s feature, we encourage non-Nigerian writers to reach out.
Technical Writing
7. Techloy is hiring Remote Technical Writers
Techloy is seeking full-time product-focused data-led technology writers who are passionate about and experienced in writing technology news/analysis and reviewing technology products, IT courses and career opportunities to become part of its editorial team. They are looking for a quick learner with versatile skills, who is precise and understands processes. These individuals will be reporting to the Chief Editorial Officer.
Compensation: N50,000-150,000 per month
Requirements:
Passion for covering tech products and IT courses/jobs.
Experience working with data, numbers, and statistics in journalism, including data-led stories and/or graphics.
Keen interest in research, quantitative data & qualitative data, interpreting product information and career opportunities.
Ability to use data analysis tools to present a story.
Ability to communicate in good written and spoken English.
Demonstrable knowledge of Techloy's audience.
Knowledge and experience using spreadsheets like Excel and Google Sheets.
Experience using visualisation tools and software.
Basic design skills with tools like Canva and Figma.
Understanding and experience using communication and project management tools such as Slack, Teams, Asana, Trello, or Jira.
Must be attentive to details.
Ability to collaborate on stories and independently work to tight deadlines.
Prose of the Week
A Theory of Kigali by Abenea Ndago
The connecting flight from Heathrow has arrived. The last passenger to board is a twelve-year-old Coloured boy who carries a white terrier doll under his armpit. He pants to the window seat beside my aisle one, guilt written on his back, and I know he is the schoolchild who delayed us because he had to connect to Johannesburg from London via Kigali.
‘Why did you keep us here,’ my voice does not ask.
Poetry of the Week
A Gift of Loneliness by Vincent Chimaobi Okonkwo
You wake up at the foot of your throat, gasping
You must have forgotten to breathe
marooned in the liturgy of your mind
Where you are punctual at drowning.
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Diwongo-diwongo (Good luck—Duala, Cameroon)