Calls for Submissions: Black Lives Matter - Paying Markets

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"This is where we are now: a fascist calls for the murder of protesters and gets an op-ed in the Times while out-of-control police roams the streets terrorizing and brutalizing peaceful protesters. Trump himself had peaceful protesters tear-gassed and beaten outside the White House on live TV in a brutal warning to Americans that he has the police and military behind him, that he will use lethal force, and that dissent will be crushed. The danger of all this can't be overstated: not only has fascism arrived in the United States—it's winning." ~ Into the Void editors.

I could not have said it any better.

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The Syndrome. “As a response to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and countless others, and the continuous systematic violence perpetrated against the black community, we have launched the Black Voices Matter campaign for the month of June. As an ally and supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, we believe that now is the time to pause our regular content and instead utilize this online space for anti-racism efforts. Black women/non-binary individuals are invited to submit their work – we look forward to hearing from you.” Payment: “Black writers will receive $50 for each published article. Our regular fee of $20 per article has been increased during this time as a small gesture to black writers whose work will inevitably bring insight and education to our wide readership, though we acknowledge this payment is not nearly enough.” Deadline: June 30, 2020.

Into the Void: We Are Antifa. Into the Void literary magazine is seeking submissions for their anthology: Expressions Against Fascism, Racism and Police Violence in the United States and Beyond. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology will go to Black Lives Matter. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction and creative nonfiction. Your submission must in some way concern fascism, racism and/or police violence. Black writers are strongly encouraged to submit. Payment: $15CAD  per poem/flash piece and $30CAD per prose piece and a contributor copy. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Nimrod."In solidarity and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, we are currently offering free general/thematic submissions for Black authors." Genre: Poetry on theme of Endings and Beginnings. Payment: $10/page, with a maximum payment of $200. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Frontier Poetry: Types of Burns. Frontier Poetry has launched a new series for black writers called Types of Burns. "Black Lives Matter. We must all do what we can, one individual choice at a time, to dismantle white supremacy—in our selves, our relationships, our communities, and our institutions. Frontier stands in unrelenting support of the protestors demanding change—we send you every prayer, every bit of energy we have. Stay safe and stay healthy and stay bold." Genre: Any genre, under 1500 words. This includes photography and performance. "Black voices only." Payment: $50. Deadline: August 3, 2020.

Tor.com: Breathe Fiyah. Restrictions: Open to Black authors, including those from the Black diaspora and Black African authors. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Payment: $250. Deadline: August 28, 2020. Opens August 26.

Nottingham Writers Studio: The George Floyd Short Story Competition. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. “With this anthology, we seek to capture not only stories of social justice that capture the mood, tone, and energy of the vital Black Lives Matter movement, but the entire gamut of BAME life experience, from social justice to comedies by black authors to romances with a predominantly Asian cast. This competition is open to all as we welcome the experiences of advocates and allies as well as voices from the black community. Above all, we want to ensure in publishing the anthology we amplify, centre, and celebrate the voices and writings of people of colour.” Prize: £250, £125, £75; £30 for runners-up. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Rattle: Poets Respond. "Because of the nature of the traditional publication apparatus, poetry doesn't often respond in a timely way to current events—but we think it could. To test this hypothesis, we'd like to try publishing a poem online each Sunday (if we receive any that we like) that responds to a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since." Payment: $100. Deadline: The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST.

Kikwetu. "The Black Lives Matter movement, precipitated by the brutality and deaths of Black Americans at the hands of mostly white American police officers, has ignited a global demand for the end of white supremacy and spurred voices world over in speaking out against the continued subjugation of Black lives wherever they are placed. For our next Issue (issue 6), we seek short fiction and nonfiction pieces (3,000 word max) in English or Swahili from Black African writers living on or off the continent. We seek pieces which celebrate and highlight Black African experiences in whatever form they take--whether at the frontlines of local or international movements against police brutality and treatment of Black bodies, whether watching the global shifts from the sidelines, or dealing with loss and fear in the face of a global health crisis, or falling in love, self-discovery, etc." Payment: $30. Deadline: September 1, 2020.

CRAFT. "Black lives matter. Black voices matter. While our submissions for short and flash fiction are always free and always open, this summer we are offering a fast response option for free to Black writers." Payment: $200 for accepted short stories and $100 for flash fiction.

Autostraddle is an accepting and supportive environment for queer trans women. "Autostraddle is  currently only accepting submissions that center the fight for Black lives and Black futures, and the end of white supremacy. We are also looking for on-the-ground reporting of current protests and community action." Payment falls within the $40-$100 range. Read their submission guidelines.

Scalawag. "Scalawag’s Race and Place initiative seeks to expand traditional conversations about environmental racism, climate change, segregation, gentrification, and freedom movements to better understand both the nuances of how places are made and for whom, and how we can transform power to create the future places of our dreams. We’re looking for pitches that consider the connections between these conversations in places as big as nations and as small as living rooms. In particular, we’re interested in reported pieces, essays, and even fiction about Black and Latinx rural placemaking, alternative relationships to land, connections between environmental racism and climate change, policing/incarceration and toxicity, radical placemaking for pleasure (e.g, dance clubs, social clubs), and classic investigative reporting on the impact of policies and economies on the placemaking of communities of color. Stories should range from 800-1,500 words. Investigative articles can be up to 2,000 words. Multimedia submissions are also welcome. Payment: Not specified.

The Georgia Review does not have a specific call for submissions, but they are giving space and support to those "whose lead we should follow such as community organizers and literary/arts organizations working directly in the crux of the conflict." The editor writes: "We have witnessed the grievous deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor, all of whom were unarmed and nonthreatening Black citizens killed by people who have worked officially in the name of our country’s justice. Arbery’s murder took place here in Georgia. Furthermore, when I began to write this, our nation’s capital was—and arguably still is—a zone militarized against the crowds of people voicing both their outrage at these murders and their demands for a better future. I love my home country, the United States of America. I love it so much that I can’t overlook moments when it’s at its worst, when it fails to honor the aspirations it proclaims. I love it dearly, and that is why I support those who force us to reckon with these injustices and compel us to imagine our country at its best. Any love worth keeping allows space for criticism in the spirit of mutual betterment. We can be better than having murders like these be commonplace. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and all other allies working for justice, however it is each of us chooses to participate in this resistance movement." Payment: $50 per printed page for prose and $4 per line for poetry. Essay-reviews and standard reviews earn honoraria of $50/printed page. The Georgia Review will be open for submissions again on August 15.

The Massachusetts Review does not have a special call for submissions, but the editors had this to say: "Like many of you, we at the Massachusetts Review have been horrified and saddened by the events of the past two weeks, specifically, and by the ongoing evidence of systemic racism in our country. As we mourn the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, we join with other institutions to observe #ShutDownAcademia today, to bring attention to the ways Academia contributes to the marginalization of BIPOC communities. We know that at times like these, literature can feel like a luxury. Yet we are reminded of just how powerful such voices are--at this moment and for the future. Today and always, we recommit to publishing the urgent, necessary voices of BlPOC writers, and to the ongoing project of social justice and civil rights." Payment: $100. The Massachusetts Review will be open for general submissions again on October 1.

Joyland. "The publishing industry has a long way to go in terms of diversity and championing Black writers. If you are a Black writer, we'd like to invite you to submit your short stories, creative nonfiction, and novel excerpts for us free of charge. We do not publish poetry." Payment:  $100/piece.

Jaded Ibis Press: Black Voices Prose Series

"Black literature creates a world for black readers in which we are centered and heard and seen. This is a gift that we give to ourselves and each other–it is a healing balm to see yourself in so many sharp pages. I know that Black prose writers and their books are what made me believe that I could write, that my stories, and poems and essays were worthy of telling, and that, in turn my imagination held something precious. I do not know who or how I would be without Black work, and I know that’s true for many of us.

I am honored to be able to create, with Jaded Ibis Press, a space for Black stories to be told–we will be publishing one Black-authored novel a year in a series that I hope goes on forever. I thank you in advance for trusting Jaded Ibis with your work, and look forward to exploring your worlds.

Please send manuscripts to naima@jadedibispress.com. Include any questions that you may have about our press, the process, and/or compensation–we want our community to feel more informed about the publishing process, even if your ms doesn’t end up with us."

Payment: Royalties


Nightlight Audiocast. "Are you Black? It doesn't matter what part of the world you're from, or where you are now–as long as you're Black and you write horror, you are welcome to submit!"

Payment: $125 for short stories (over 3000 words); Short fiction (less than 3,000 words) is paid at $75 per story; Reprints are paid $50 per story.