Every one of us arrived into something already in motion. A land that held lives before ours, language that shaped our thoughts, a body that loved in ways the law had criminalized, silence that was passed down, and gods who existed before us.
Inheritance is the theme of our first open call.
What we are given that we didn’t ask for — land, language, silence, trauma, names, gods, debt, love etc
We are looking for truth told with boldness, fierceness and grace.
Submission Guidelines
Work that does not follow these guidelines will not be accepted.
- Who can submit: African writers — writers based on the continent and in the diaspora.
- Word count: Creative Nonfiction and Short Fiction submissions must not exceed 3,500 words.
- Language: We accept submissions in English only for this issue.
- Format: Submit as a Word document (.doc or .docx). Use Times New Roman or Garamond, 12pt.
- Deadline: 7th May 2026, 11:59 PM (WAT)
- Previously published work: We accept only original, unpublished work.
- Multiple submissions: No multiple submissions. Please submit to one category only.
- Simultaneous submissions: Yes, we accept them. But if your work is accepted elsewhere while under consideration with us, please withdraw your submission promptly.
- Compensation: We are a press in our founding year and are not yet in a position to offer payment for this issue. Every writer whose work we publish will receive a compensation of $25 – 35$.
- Response time: We will respond to all submissions two weeks after submission is closed. Please do not query before this date.
- Queries: Send any questions to editorial@openarts.press
