Lolwe is looking for work that is bold, different, and blurs or pushes boundaries: play with form and language, ignore genre classifications, send in your fears and joys, your doubts and faiths, your curiosities and silences. 

Submission Guidelines

When to submit: 1 February to 29 February 2024*.

What to submit: Fiction, essays, poetry, and photography.

Who can submit: Black (African, Caribbean, Diaspora) artists.

Limit: 1,000-10,000 words for fiction and essays. Min. 3 - Max. 5 poems contained in a single document. Min. 5 - Max. 10 images/artworks in one document alongside 200-500 words about the work. (If you’d like to submit an image for the cover, just submit a single high resolution version in the photography category).

Format: Word document, Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced.

Response time: 3-4 months after submission deadline. Please don't enquire about submission status until the time has lapsed. Queries to info@lolwe.org.

Multiple submissions: No. Please submit to only one category. Submissions to the wrong category will be automatically rejected.

Simultaneous submissions: Yes. Just remember to withdraw if accepted elsewhere. For poetry, leave a note on submittable indicating which poem(s) is/are no longer available. Please note that failure to withdraw or notify us of work accepted/published elsewhere will lead to an automatic disqualification of the entire work submitted.

Republishing: No. Only original, unpublished submissions will be read. Previously published work is not accepted at all.

Submission fees: None. You can, however, donate a "tip" to Lolwe. 

Payment: Lolwe will offer a modest remuneration for work that is accepted for publication. 

Send a brief bio alongside the submission.