Funded: Opportunities of African Writers
Up to N2,000,000, Contests, Print Publication, Fellowship, Workshop etc
This newsletter is published every Wednesday at 5pm WAT.
1. Lagos Poetry Slam
Lagos International Poetry Festival (LIPFest) 2024 is a tribute to curiosity and discovery, a preoccupation with what the poet Derek Walcott calls “the astonishment of the soul.” The festival is inviting poets to participate in a contest under the 2024 theme “The Science of Things” which seeks to use art to blend inquiry, imagination, language, and science for sustainable living, while resisting political and economic co-option.
Deadline: 20th October 2024 | Prize: N2,000,000
How to enter:
Write and record an original one-minute video of a poem on the theme “The Science of Things.”
Register and upload your video using this link – https://forms.gle/SBrnpg8ZaRqdboSWA
Videos must be clear and recorded without props or background music.
Poems can be in English or any other Nigerian/African language.
Poems may not contain excessive violence, explicit language and/or degrading language in reference to any group of people and persons.
Submitting poets must be between 18 and 35 years of age.
Stand a chance to qualify as one of two wild card entries by uploading your poem on TikTok with the hashtags #LIPFest2024Slam and #TheScienceOf Things. Follow and tag us on @lagospoetryfestival.
Two entries with the highest number of likes/engagement will qualify as wild cards.
Only one submission allowed per poet. Poets who make more than one entry will be automatically disqualified.
Poems will be judged by a carefully selected team of judges.
Ten shortlisted poets will be announced on the 23rd of October 2024.
Shortlisted poets will compete live for on the Sunday 27th of October 2024 at #LIPFest2024. Location: Alliance Française Lagos.
2. The Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop
The Idembeka Workshop was established in 2022 by Frances Ogamba, Kasimma and Mubanga Kalimamukwento is free to attend for African writers with not more than three publications to their credit. The 2025 edition will hold virtually between 6th and 11th January 2025.
Deadline: 15th November 2024 | Prize: Free Workshop
Things to note:
For prose (fiction or creative nonfiction), word length is 1,000 words max
For poetry, submission must not exceed 5 pages
Submission must be made in William Shaun manuscript format
Submissions should not have the submitters name or any identifying details
Submissions should include a cover letter and short bio
Submissions should be sent here.
3. "Miss Sarah" Fellowship for Black Women Writers 2025
The “Miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black Women Writers aims to provide Black women writers a restful environment conducive to reflection and writing. It also offers uninterrupted, independent time to plant the seed of an idea for a new writing project or to develop or complete a project underway. For 2025 the Fellowship will focus on the genre of Poetry.
Deadline: 15th November 2024, 11:59pm EST | Renumeration: $1000 + some travel expenses
Guidelines:
The selected writer will receive a ten-day residency in July 2025 and can choose whether to stay at Trillium Arts’ rural “Firefly Creek” apartment in Mars Hills, NC or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis’s “Montford Manor” residence near downtown Asheville, NC.
Black women writers at any stage of their careers are invited to apply.
For applicants outside of the United States, please note that travel expenses will only be covered within the United States. International airfare will be at the expense of the applicant.
To apply, please upload and submit all of the following documents, either as PDF or Word documents. Files should not exceed 10 MB each.
CV or resume (not to exceed 5 pages)
A one-page Fellowship Proposal Statement outlining the proposed project. Include information about the project context and what you plan to accomplish during the Fellowship period.
A one-page statement that addresses the question of, “Why Trillium Arts?” Be specific in how a Fellowship at Trillium Arts will benefit your creative work.
One letter of recommendation. The letter should be submitted separately by an outside recommender. The letter should specifically refer to your writing project. Be sure to choose someone who can speak specifically about your project, and they suggest you share your work sample with your recommender so they can be informed about your writing.
In your letter, we request that the recommender address the following four questions:
How do you know the applicant? Are you their teacher, colleague, editor, etc.
What makes the applicant's project significant?
Who do you imagine would be most served by this project?
What do you find inspiring about the applicant's project?
Provide an email address for your recommender in the application form and your recommender will receive an automatic link to use to submit their letter on your behalf.
Also include a writing sample of your proposed project. The writing sample should be of work you intend to further develop during the Fellowship. Work-in-progress is therefore highly recommended. Writing samples should be in English.
MA and MFA theses, PhD dissertations, and edited collections are not eligible and will be disqualified. Your work sample must be original.
Your name and the title of your written piece should appear on the top of each uploaded file.
Please submit your writing sample in ONE PDF document. The sample should be a minimum of 10 pages and not exceed 15 pages.
All submitted documents should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and in an easily readable 12-point font.
To apply, fill this form.
4. Broken Sleep Books: Call for Poetry Pamphlets
Broken Sleep Books are a working-class, small, innovative press, who publish a range of poetry and prose, from a range of writers. Our primary focus is in increasing access to the arts, in ensuring more people are able to engage with creativity regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Deadline: 30th November 2024 | Compensation: Publication + 10% royalties etc
Guidelines:
Pages: Poetry collections = 40+
Poetry pamphlets = 15-40
Non-fiction prose = 40-150 (send a sample of 40-70 pages)
Please send as a Word document or PDF. Please do not put your work in the body of the email or send .pages, links to websites or file transfer sites - these will be deleted.
Size 10 font for main text.
Simultaneous submissions ok - but please indicate if this is the case in your email.
All submissions considered, regardless of location.
Collaborative submissions are considered.
Wildcard submissions are intended for all books that don't fit into the other window specifications.
They are happy to look at translations - but keep in mind that they do facing-page and would require both the original language and the translated language.
Email: Include a short biography and brief synopsis, in the body of an email.
For poetry, please list any poetic influences or poets you admire.
Subject: [Poetry pamphlet/Poetry collection/Non-fiction/Wildcard] Submission - [Name], [Title]
Send your email to submissions@brokensleepbooks.com
5. Submit Poetry to West Trestle Review
WTR began as a journal for poets in California and Nevada and now has expanded to include international poets, writers, and visual artists. They are currently seeking work from women of colour and non-binary persons.
Deadline: 30th November 2024 | Pay: Unstated
Things to note:
They are only open to previously unpublished poetry.
They accept simultaneous submissions, but please inform them immediately if your work is accepted by another publication. If you need to withdraw a piece, please message them via Submittable
Please send at least two, but no more than five of your best poems attached in a single document, in black Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.
6. Submit to After Dinner Conversation
After Dinner Conversation is an independent nonprofit literary magazine focused on philosophy and ethics driven short story fiction. Basically, they are looking for The Trolley Problem in short story form. “The Waiting Room” is a GREAT example of the kind of thoughtful, well-written story they love to publish. This video from their editor will give you more details to increase your chances. (Watch Extended Version here).
Deadline: Unstated | Pay: $75
Things to note:
Proofread your work. They stop reading at the 3rd glaring typo. “We aren’t kidding. We get a surprising number of submissions with typos and random font changes.”—ADC
You are not required to pay for submissions but if you want a faster response, you can use their FAST PASS system.
Typically, your story is published (1) in the magazine, then (2) is available for consideration in our yearly paperback “best of [year]” anthology that comes out in the Spring, and (3) sometimes on our website.* Additionally, your story will be considered for inclusion in future (4) podcast discussions and/or as an (5) audiobook podcast reading.
Kindly watch the editor’s video BEFORE you submit.
7. Call for Submissions: Door is Ajar Magazine
Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine is looking for well-crafted poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, artwork, and book reviews for our print and digital publication. Their magazine steers away from academic writing and publishes short, conversational works that use familiar language. Their issues are don't have specific themes, and we accept all genres and literary styles.
Deadline: Unstated | Pay: Unstated
Guidelines:
They only accept new, unpublished work. If you have posted something to your website or social media, this counts as being published.
Submit all work in Times New Roman font size 11
For book reviews please include the following information: the title, author, publisher, year of publication, page count, ISBN, and price.
In the form, Under the "Title(s)" section, please list all the titles of the pieces you are submitting, and not something general like "My Poems". Make sure you are consistent with how you present the titles in your attached document and in this space. If you are unable to fit all the titles into the "Title(s)" section, please list them in your cover letter section of the submission form.
Please provide your name as you would like published, email, mailing address, and a fun 3-sentence bio.
Contributors can submit to multiple categories; however, only submit once to each category until you have received our decision about your piece.
Poetry
Submit 3-5 poems as a .doc or .docx
Each poem should not exceed more than page in length
For us, a full page in the correct font and size is 31 lines long
The longest a single line can be before you need to cut it off or dropped to the next line is 3.5". Submit here.
Fiction
Submit up to 2 pieces of fiction as a .doc or .docx
Each individual piece between 10 and 1,000 words
Section breaks are fine, but do not add extra spaces between every paragraph. Submit here.
Nonfiction
Submit up to 2 pieces of nonfiction as a .doc or .docx
Each individual piece between 10 and 1,000 words
Section breaks are fine, but do not add extra spaces between every paragraph. Submit here.
Drama
Following the Standard American Format
Submit up to 2 short plays. Each play can range between 1 and 10 pages in length as a .doc or .docx. Submit here.
Book Reviews
Submit no more than 2 book reviews as a .doc or .docx
Each individual review should not exceed 1,000 words
Reviews can cover books in genre including poetry collection and anthologies
They will only consider reviews on books that have been published within the last 2 years. Submit here.
8. Submit to Tales and Whispers
Tales & Whispers is a unique storytelling haven where the vibrant tradition of African storytelling meets the spontaneity of casual narratives. They prioritise engaging storytelling over conventional literary forms, embracing the authenticity and creativity that make each tale unforgettable.
Deadline: rolling basis | Pay: Unstated
Things to note:
You have to create an author account to submit your story.
To create one and submit, click here.
9. The Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize 2024
The Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) invites Nigerian poets and literature lovers around the globe to submit their most powerful and thought-provoking poem exploring the themes of Unity, Truth, Justice, and Change.
Deadline: 13th December 2024. | Prize: Total of N100,000 + publication in anthology
How to submit:
Submit one (1) original poem in the body of the mail. No attachments.
Email submissions to SUBMISSIONS@WRR.NG with the subject: ‘EOPP 2024: NAME OF ENTRANT’.
Include full name, contact details, and a brief biography in the email.
Do not submit poems with profanity/vulgarity as they will be disqualified.
The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entertained.
Poets retain copyright but grant publication rights for the EOPP Anthology by submitting their works.
10. Now Open: Afitondo Short Story Prize 2025
Afritondo is a media and publishing platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of Africans and black minority populations across the globe. For the 2025 prize, they want writers to respond to the theme of “masks”: spiritual, psychological, social, and cultural coverings that people wear. To read more about the theme, visit here.
Deadline: 23rd December 2024. | Prize: Total of $1400
Things to note:
You may only submit an entry if you meet any of the following eligibility requirements:
You are a citizen or national of an African country.
One of your parents is a national of an African country.
You are of black ethnicity or belong to a black minority population anywhere in the world.
Submissions must be in English and must reflect the theme.
Only one submission per writer is allowed.
The submission, including the title, must be between 3000 and 5000 words.
The submission should be in Microsoft Word (doc, docx) and in the following format:
•Double-spaced, Times New Roman or Calibri font, 12-point size.
•The title of the story should appear at the top of the first page, followed by the word count. No further information is required.
• Every page must be numbered.
The author’s name or detail must not be included anywhere on the document to be uploaded. The document must contain only the title, word count, and story.
Submission is accepted only via email. Entries should be sent to submissions@afritondo.com. The subject of the submission should read: Submission for Afritondo Short Story Prize 2025.
The filename of the entry (i.e. the attached document) must be the title of the short story. In the body of the form, share briefly about yourself, including such information as your legal name, country of residence, age (optional), and contact details.
Entries must not have been previously published or shortlisted for another prize. Also, entries published or shortlisted during the judging or publishing process will be disqualified.
Entrants agree as a condition of entry that the prize organisers may publicise the fact that a story has been entered, longlisted, or shortlisted for the prize.
Where a story has been longlisted, it can no longer be withdrawn from the competition.
By submitting an entry, the author agrees to its inclusion in an anthology should the judges select it and to work with editors to get the story ready for publication.
Prose of the Week
Broken Boy | Orhemba Mhembeuter Jeremiah
Home is to dissolve into a spiral of air,
Disappear into emptiness and become nothing.
Whenever we are asked about the day we will never forget, it is most times likely to be a memorable, happy day. For some of us, it is asking us to relate that moment when our unending night begun; our long, long night that will never dawn.
A year has passed, but it still feels like the moments never passed. It hangs in the air like a cobweb looking down on me. Today marks a year ago he did it.
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Prose of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Poetry of the Week
An Attempt at Portrait Creation | Orhemba Mhembeuter Jeremiah
(i) Away and home feels like a distant past, a memory of long-ago, another life time even. And I’m afraid. Perhaps because maturity, at least for me, means a scraping away of the most important parts of the body.
(ii) The clock reads that time draws further away, closer to beautiful things…
If you’d like your poetry featured in ‘Poetry of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
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Alle voorspoed (All the best—Afrikaans, South Africa)
Thanks so much. Have restacked this.
Thank youuuuuuu, definitely bringing a price home before the year ends 💪