Closing Soon: Opportunities for African Writers
Up to $12,000, Book Publication, Sponsored Travel, Jobs, Fellowships
This newsletter is published every Wednesday.
1. Hiring in Nigeria: The Nollywood Reporter
Rhythm Media Group, owners of The Nollywood Reporter, is seeking popculture experts and enthusiasts to join their digital media department as writers/reporters (7 openings, Lagos, Abuja, Enugu and Kano), associate editor (Lagos, Remote), news editor (Lagos, Remote).
Deadline: 31st May 2024. Pay: Unstated
General Requirements:
A degree in Communication, English Language or a related field
1-4years of experience
Strong knowledge of Nollywood, and the Nollywood Reporter audience.
Multi-tasking, and ability to work in a very fast-paced environment.
Knowledge of web based-publishing and content management systems.
For specific requirements and to apply, kindly click your preferred position: writers/reporters, associate editor, news editor.
2. Call for Submissions: Beta People Magazine
Beta People Magazine (pronounced \bẹ-tá, meaning “good” in Nigerian Pidgin English) #BPM is a subsidiary of weTranscend Media, an organisation committed to being a source of positivity in a world oversaturated with negativity. For their maiden edition, they are asking for submissions around the theme: Freedom.
Deadline: 31st May 2024. Pay: None
Things to note:
They are accepting stories, reviews and articles. Please save your submission as a Microsoft Word document.
Limit is 1000 words.
The file should be named with your name underscore your headline/title (e.g Tony_The Liberating Power of Good Food).
Attach a portrait image of yourself, a short bio and any contact details or social media channels.
If not already in the document, attach any other image(s) you want in your submission and specify where they should be placed
Send your contribution(s) to wetranscendmedia24@gmail.com by the deadline with the subject line: “Freedom”.
3. The Flame Tree Writers’ Workshop
The Flame Tree Writers’ Project is an initiative aimed at fostering creative writing as a tool for social change. They are inviting emerging Northern Nigerian writers to an all expense paid 4day workshop in Abuja (24-28 June 2024) to receive training in short story writing. This workshop will be facilitated by two NLNG prize winners: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and Chika Unigwe.
Deadline: 31st May 2024. Prize: Free workshop + Travel
Guidelines:
Writers must be aged 18-35 and from one of the 19 Northern States of Nigeria.
Applicants should not have published a full-length work of fiction but can include links to previously published shorter pieces.
Commitment to attend the full workshop duration.
To apply, in a PDF document include the following:
Full Name, Date of Birth, and State of Origin.
A 100-word bio, a 100-word motivation statement, and a 1000-word prose fiction writing sample.
A copy of a valid national ID.
Applications should be submitted as a single PDF document to flametreewritersproject@gmail.com
4. BOF Next Generation Black Journalists Fellowship
The Business of Fashion is launching the fourth iteration of the annual Next Generation Black Journalists Fellowship, a six-month, part-time, paid reporting and writing programme designed to train and publish aspiring Black writers in the field of fashion business journalism.
Deadline: 31st May 2024. 5pm EST |. Renumeration: Unstated amount
Things to note:
The programme will start on July 1, 2024 and last six months. Two fellows are selected per cycle
Candidates must show a dedication to either the media or fashion industry.
Candidates will be required to provide a writing sample, which can be any written content whether it’s a blog post, essay or thread on social media. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of the quality of their ideas and passion for the business of fashion and beauty, as well as their career ambitions.
To apply for this fellowship, click here.
5. The Unserious Collective Poetry Fellowship
The UnSerious Collective Fellowship awards FOUR (4) emerging Nigerian poets as Unserious Collective Fellows annually for poetry that is commendable, experimental, brilliant, and daring. The fellowship is part of the major essence of the collective—to recognize talents and celebrate hard work in the bustling Nigerian Poetry community.
Deadline: 31st May 2024. | Renumeration: Total of N500,000
Guidelines:
The competition is open to all emerging Nigerian poets. Nigerian poet, they take to mean a person born in Nigeria, or whose parents (at least one) are Nigerian, or a person living in Nigeria naturalised as a citizen.
Send in up to six (previously published or unpublished) poems of any length in a .doc or .docx file—Single-spaced. Font: 12, Garamond or Times New Roman (Note: Ensure that publication history of published poems are clearly acknowledged in your submission).
Original entries only.
The submission title should read, "UCPS 2024".
All submissions must be sent to "submission@unseriouscollective.com"
6. Cassava Republic African Women Non-Fiction Writing Workshop
This is a 10-day residential workshop of creativity and collaboration, under the theme ‘Taboo’, in Johannesburg in July 2024. The workshop offers writers the opportunity to refine their craft and engage critically with the long tradition of non-fiction writing as they explore their own unique voice. The workshop will culminate in a final essay to be published in an anthology by Cassava Republic Press.
Deadline: 31st May 2024. | Prize: Funded travel + publication
To enter:
The prize is open to all Black women over the age of 18 who live in Africa.
You will need to submit a short pitch letter about your ideas for the topic and the first draft of the essay you will be working on at the workshop, on the theme of Taboo.
Final essays will be a minimum of 5,000 words and should be beautiful, thoughtful, rigorous and bring a fresh insight to the conversation.
Click here to apply.
7. Quramo Writer’s Prize 2024
For this year’s prize, Quramo is inviting unpublished Nigerian and African writers to submit a fiction prose manuscript. The Prize is awarded to a fiction prose manuscript by an African writer published in English, whether they reside in Africa or elsewhere. Each entry must be an original, unpublished work.
Deadline: 31st of May, 2024. Prize: Publishing Deal + N1,000,000
Instructions:
The Prize is only open to unpublished Nigerian and African writers.
The fiction prose manuscript must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant. Published work is not eligible for the prize.
Short story collections, plays, and poetry are not eligible.
Manuscripts must contain a minimum of 30,000 words.
All entrants must be 16 years of age and above.
All entries must be submitted through the submissions portal on the official Quramo website in the following format:
Times New Roman font type. MS Word format. Font Size 12. Left justified. Double line spacing. Page numbers on each page
All submissions must be sent in with the following information:
A one-page synopsis (click link for some guidance on how to write a winning synopsis). A short personal biography of 100 words max. (in third person POV). Social media profiles (Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn). Full (legal) name. Physical address. Email address. Phone number
They do not accept simultaneous submissions. Prior entries for the QWP are also ineligible.
For more instructions and to submit click below
8. Call for Submissions: Poda Poda Stories
Poda-Poda Stories is a Sierra Leonean literary platform that publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and literary criticism by emerging and established Sierra Leonean writers. Founded in 2020 by Sierra Leonean writer and journalist Ngozi Cole, the platform amplifies and promotes Sierra Leonean literature.
Deadline: 31st May 2024. | Compensation: Unstated
Guidelines:
They accept work from Sierra Leoneans or persons of Sierra Leonean descent currently residing in Sierra Leone or the diaspora.
Fiction (1500 words maximum), nonfiction (1500 maximum), poetry (3 poems maximum), and book reviews (800 words maximum).
Your work must be in Microsoft word (docx) format; typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font and double-spaced.
Include a brief writer’s bio in your email submission.
We will not accept plagiarized work. This includes AI-generated work.
Do not submit work that contains elements of harmful stereotypes.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. We ask that you email us immediately your work is accepted elsewhere.
Submit by sending an email to to editor@poda-poda.com using the following format on your email subject: Lastname_Submission Title. If your submission is time sensitive, kindly indicate that in your email subject line using the following format: Time sensitive_Lastname_Submission Title.
9. 2024 Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship
This residency program is created in honour of the late Nigerian Professor Tejumola Olaniyan and his intellectual legacy in the field of African literature and critical theory. The residency invites writers to Sharjah, UAE for a period of three months to complete their work
Deadline: 1st June 2024 | Prize: Total of 45,000 AED
How to enter:
All application material should be included in a single pdf (except were the writing sample is a book)
CV/résumé of the applicant
A two-page narrative of the project to be undertaken during the residency period, its significance, and a proposed date of completion.
A sample of published or unpublished writings.
Please name the file with the residency title abbreviation and the applicant’s name in this format: TOCWRP_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.
Use the same name in the email subject heading and send the PDF as an email attachment to applications@theafricainstitute.org.
Technical Writing
10. Free: Google Technical Writing Courses
This collection of courses and learning resources by Google aims to improve your technical documentation. Learn how to plan and author technical documents. You can also learn about the role of technical writers at Google.
Deadline: Unstated. | Prize: 4 free courses
Click to enroll:
Technical Writing One: Learn the critical basics of technical writing. Take this course before taking any of the other courses.
Technical Writing Two: Practice four intermediate topics in technical writing.
Tech Writing for Accessibility: Develop skills for making documentation more accessible to all.
Writing Helpful Error Messages: Write clearer, more effective error messages, whether they appear in IDEs, command lines, or GUIs. This course is online only.
Prose of the Week
Mercy | Thobekile Masombuka
I hated her because she asked me my name and inquired about my health, my state of mind, my circumstances. I had to hate her because she looked me in the eye. Like there was nothing that set us apart except our God-given skins. She would walk down that street on her way home, see me, and ask me how I was doing that day or if I had a peaceful weekend. I couldn’t truly hate her…
Poetry of the Week
Noah’s Ark | Linda Masilela
The hues of a dark night
Are melting beneath
The heavy hues of August winds.
Our shack coughs
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Yak ufuro aba uno nte asin ubok (Let growth be found where you set your hands—Ibibio, Southern Nigeria)
This is so helpful, thank you! Please never stop😁❤️