Nommo Journal: Black Speculative Literature
Poets and writers are invited to submit work to our new journal. We accept all genres of work, including poetry, fiction drama and experimental, as long as it has Afrofuturism as the focus. Two definitions are applicable: Afrofuturism is defined as "speculative fiction that treats African American themes and addresses African American concerns in the context of the twentieth century technoculture—and, more generally, African American signification that appropriates images of technology and a prosthetically enhanced future."-- Mark Dery in his 1994 essay, "Black to the Future."
"Afrofuturism is a way of looking at the future and alternate realities through a Black cultural lens. Black cultural lens means the people of the African continent in addition to the Diaspora, the Americas, Europe, etc. It is an artistic aesthetic, but also a kind of method of self-liberation or self-healing. It can be part of critical race theory and in other respects its an epistemology as well. It intersects the imagination, technology, Black culture, liberation, and mysticism. An an artistic aesthetic it bridges literature, music, visual arts, film, and dance. As a mode of self-healing and self-liberation, it's the use of imagination that is most significant because it helps people to transform their circumstances. Imagining oneself in the future creates agency and it's significant because historically people of African descent were not always incorporated into many of the storylines about the future."--Ytasha Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fantasy Culture (2013).
Poetry: Submit no more than three poems
Fiction/Nonfiction/Drama: Submit no more than 3,500 words
Contributors whose work have been accepted will be notified via email.
The editorial team reserves the right to reject a submission for any reason.
Willow Books, the award-winning imprint of Aquarius Press, is currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts from November 15, 2022-March 15, 2023. The mission of Willow Books is to develop, publish and promote writers of color.
Previous Open Reading Period selections include Califia’s Daughter by devorah major, San Francisco’s Third Poet Laureate, Why I Am Like Tequila by 2022 Texas Poet Laureate Lupe Mendez, Where I Was Born by Naoko Fujimoto and Fabric by Lucinda Roy.
Poetry Manuscripts should include a cover letter, brief statement about the collection, an estimated page count (no more than 250 pages) and a brief bio.
Fiction & General Interest Nonfiction Manuscripts should include a cover letter, brief summary of the project, an estimated word count (no more than 100,000) and a brief bio.
All submissions must be uploaded by March 15, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. Reading fees are nonrefundable. Aquarius Press LLC in no way guarantees that a submitted manuscript will be accepted. The editors’ decisions are final.
Response Time
You will receive a response within 30 days if your manuscript is accepted. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, you can assume that we have passed on your manuscript. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to provide personal feedback.
Simultaneous Submissions
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us and formally withdraw from Submittable if the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
For more information, visit www.WillowLit.net