Closing Soon: Opportunities for African Writers
Up to N3,000,000, Publication, Residency, Workshop, Fellowship
This newsletter is published every Wednesday at 5pm WAT.
1. The Passionfruit Review Issue 12: Open for Submissions
Passionfruit seeks work which engages with love in the broadest possible sense: writing which seeks love out or runs screaming from it; which delights in, is bored of, resents, yearns for, abhors, or denies love. They accept poetry and prose on the theme of love.
Deadline: 27th September 2024, 11:59 PM GMT | Compensation: unstated
Guidelines:
Poetry: Submit no more than three poems at a time. There are no set restrictions on length for poetry submissions, but we will be looking for writing which shows meticulousness in its use of language, whether across 2 lines or 200.
Poems that use formatting to effect are welcome – just note that these may occasionally be published in PDF form (check out our previous issue for examples)
They consider prose submissions (prose poetry, flash fiction, creative non-fiction are all welcome) of up to 1000 words.
Submissions are welcome from anywhere in the world, from writers over age 18.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome – just let them know promptly via the submissions manager if any of your pieces are accepted elsewhere.
No multiple submissions.
Only previously unpublished work will be considered. Authors retain all rights, they simply ask that you allow Passionfruit first publication and credit this in any later iterations of your piece.
Strong language is fine – abusive or discriminatory language is not.
Response time will not usually exceed two months.
Send only complete work. No revisions will be considered once a piece has been accepted.
If you don’t see anything that looks like your work in a previous issue, don’t be discouraged – it might be exactly what we’ve been waiting for!
Submit here.
2. Studio Styles September Workshop: Creative Career Development
Studio Styles’ September workshops have been organised to deliver insight on how to make a good application (grants, residencies, scholarships, graduate school), how to build a sustainable career beyond freelance gigs, how organisations think about opportunities/jobs, and how to build an art or cultural institution in Africa today. The final workshop will feature Yaa Addae (writer, researcher, social engineer) and Uzoma Orji (artist, creative technologist, founder of uzoma.studio).
Date: 28th September 2024, 10am WAT | Cost: free to attend
How to register:
Kindly fill this form: Studio Styles September Workshop
3. Editorial Internship: Narrative Landscape Press
Narrative Landscape Press Limited was founded in 2016 by Anwuli Ojogwu and Eghosa Imasuen. The founders want to create a firm that could distil the essence of the publishing process and provide a service to other publishing houses and self-publishing authors within the Nigerian space. They are currently seeking interns interested in editorial work.
Deadline: 30th September 2024| Type: Remote | Pay: Unstated
Things to note:
This position is for a period of eight weeks. 1st of October to 30th of November.
Interested applicants should send their applications to editorial@narrativelandscape.com
4. West African Artist and Research Residency Call - Villa Karo
Each year, Villa Karo grants residencies to artists and researchers from and based in West Africa (lives and holds an ID card from one of the West African countries). Villa Karo offers the chosen candidate a room, breakfast, room cleaning, laundry, transport from Cotonou to Grand-Popo, support in the realisation of your project and a small stipend to cover food and material costs.
Deadline: 30th September 2024 | Pay: 200€ + partial travel support
How to apply:
Applications with resumes, portfolios and work plans in English or French to info@villakaro.org.
If the applicant already has funding for residency, they process the application in a joint application, so the number of West Africans can be higher than 6 people each year.
Villa Karo's residency starts on a Monday and ends on a Monday.
By West African applicants, they mean individuals who live and have an ID/passport from one of the West African countries.
Villa Karo does not provide justification for the residency decisions.
5. Livina Press: Midnight Ink (First Issue)
Midnight Ink is a new Livina Press venture dedicated solely to all things spooky, haunting, gothic, and everything in between. With one issue a year, it aims to capture every feeling autumn (or spooky szn) has to offer. They are looking for works centered around the spooky and haunting. Shadows that follow you. The slow descent into madness. The monsters under your bed and in your closet etc.
Deadline: 30th September 2024 | Compensation: unstated
How to submit:
Please email editor@livinapress.com with the subject line:
Midnight Ink - [Your category] - Your name
Poetry (1-5 poems). Fiction and creative non-fiction(500-10,000 words).
You can submit multiple types of work. Please send them in the same email but make sure to say what document/title goes with what category.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted and encouraged, but please let them know ASAP if it has been accepted elsewhere!
Document Format: .doc/.docx (if submitting an experimental form of poetry, please submit a PDF as well).
No requirements for font or document format, but when in doubt: Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, stories = double-spaced.
In the body of your email, please include your short (75-words or less), third-person author bio (please include the name you would like to be known as/have your name appear in the magazine!).
If there is anything you would like them to consider while reading your work (like the background for why you wrote something), but please keep it brief (100 words or less)—and this is not required!
Response time may vary (They aim for 3-5 weeks).
6. The Kenyon Review is Seeking Submissions
The Kenyon Review is a literary magazine first published in 1939. They are seeking submissions with the themes: following themes: translation, architecture, lyric essay, cinema, and visitation. With VISITATION they are looking for writing which captures an impermanent experience of presence. A visitation might be a knock at the door, a funereal ritual, a brush with the otherworldly, a legal mandate, an act of wrath, a moment of union.
Deadline: 30th September 2024. | Pay: Up to $450
Things to note:
They only consider previously unpublished works
Word count:
Short fiction and essays (up to 7,500 words)
Essays (up to 3 pieces, up to 5,000 words each; please format and submit as a single document)
Poetry (up to 6 poems; please format and submit as a single document)
Excerpts (up to 30 pages double-spaced) from larger works
Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please notify them immediately if the work has been accepted elsewhere.
Authors will receive a contract upon acceptance and payment upon publication. Authors retain copyright to their work published in The Kenyon Review.
Please read their previously published work here.
They generally follow the Chicago Manual of Style and Webster’s latest New Collegiate Dictionary.
7. Submit Short Stories to Fictive Dream
Fictive dream is an online magazine dedicated to short stories. They are currently seeking contemporary fiction for digital publication.
Deadline: 30th September 2024. | Compensation: Publication
How to submit:
Word count: 500 and 2,500 words
Only unpublished work, either in print or online (including your own blog and social media), are accepted. However, they welcome translations.
Submit your story as a Word attachment to fictivedream@gmail.com. No PDFs and please do not paste your story in the body of your email. We’ll get back to you within three weeks of submission.
Please add a brief biography of no more than 75 words written in the third person with links that you would like to be included.
Send only one story at a time, and await our response before sending another. If your submission is declined, please wait two months before submitting again.
8. UNDP’s Tax for SDGs Undergraduate Essay Competition
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is dedicated to raising awareness and sparking new ideas to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This contest invites students to share their thoughts and propose solutions on how tax policies can drive progress toward the SDGs in Nigeria.
Deadline: 1st October | Prize: Total of N2,250,000
How to enter:
Open to all undergraduate Nigerian students in any discipline, currently enrolled in a recognized university or college in the country. Identification document required.
Themes:
Exploring the potential of Innovative Tax Policies and Strategies to drive sustainable development for progress towards closing the SDGs financing Gap in Nigeria.
Exploring linkages between inclusive and sustainable tax systems on environmental sustainability, digital economy and trade.
Strengthening tax systems to combat Illicit Financial Flows in Nigeria for progress towards closing the SDGs financing Gap in Nigeria.
Essays will be evaluated based on relevance, originality, analysis, clarity etc.
Essay Length: Essays should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.
Language: Submissions should be in English.
Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and submitted in PDF.
Submissions must be original and unpublished. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Do not use AI.
To submit your essay, use this link.
9. Archivi.ng Fellowship: Uncover Nigeria’s History
The Archivi.ng Fellowship, a multidisciplinary six-month programme designed to enhance the world’s understanding of Nigerian history in engaging and meaningful ways. They are looking for historians, ethnographers, journalists, artists, technologists, researchers, writers, filmmakers, content creators, and anyone interested in helping people understand Nigerian history.
Deadline: 10th October, 2024 | Stipend: Total of N3,000,000
Things to note
The fellowship will run from November 2024 to April 2025.
They are looking for ambitious projects which:
Align with their mission to make history accessible, focusing on discovering, understanding and promoting Nigerian historical perspectives.
Make significant use of archival materials, either through analysis or re-interpretation.
Offer unique perspectives, while delivering work that’s feasible within the fellowship’s six-month time frame.
Have the potential to engage a broad or niche audience.
Candidates must not have affiliations with any government-owned entities or political parties.
Successful candidates will also receive:
Full access to Archivi.ng’s collections, online and offline.
Personalised mentorship from experts relevant to your project.
Publication and distribution of your work on Archivi.ng’s platform and other channels.
Collaborative learning circles with fellow participants.
Prose of the Week
The Artist Archiving Igbo Life and Spirituality through Indigenous Aesthetics | Ihuoma Chukwuemeka
Within the ethnic bazar that is Nigeria, it is not uncommon to see indigenous people amplifying the legacies and truths of their tribal roots. Even beyond the borders of Nigeria, the Igbo people are renowned for their entrepreneurial spirit, independent disposition, and adventurous history. But what about our arts? The gradual extinction of Igbo material culture such as masquerades, masks…
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Prose of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Poetry of the Week
Home is Many Zipcodes | Raheemat Elemade
Home is many zip codes, many walls and many abodes,
It's that place with the red crimson walls you occupied in your first seasons of life
It's in your lover's embrace and your face in the crook of their neck…
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Poetry of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
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Ka chi gi kwe (May your personal god assent—Igbo, Southeastern Nigeria)
Thank you for taking the time to curate this list. 🙏🏾✨