This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities. Some have limited definitions and are only interested in work by Black authors.
We try to make it as clear as possible who the publisher is seeking work from. Sometimes the focus of the press is limited, even though there are no limitations on who can submit. A few of the opportunities are also limited by geography, again, we try to make this clear. There are always additional submission details at the site we link to, but we try to cover the basics as best we can as part of this list.
If you belong to a limited demographic that is not listed here, this list might be helpful to you.
As long as a press/opportunity/journal is open to submissions we will continue to list it, so some of the content on the list is new, some overlaps with previous issues. This article is an ongoing collaborative effort by Emily Harstone and S. Kalekar. Please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com if you have any feedback or an opportunity/journal/publisher, to recommend.
Literary Journals/Magazines
Strange Horizons
This is a magazine of speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. They’re open now for an Afrosurrealism special issue; the call is for writers of African descent only. They want fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for this issue, and the deadline is 30th April 2025. They have detailed guidelines on this theme, including, “Welcome to the Afrosurrealist Special Issue, where the boundaries between the real and the unreal blur, where reality bends, time fractures, and the living and the dead exist side by side. Afrosurrealism has long given shape to our struggles, our power, and our dreams. This special issue seeks to bring those visions to life through stories that cut deep—tales that unsettle, haunt, and liberate.” Also see their open reading periods for general fiction submissions here (they’re open now for general fiction submissions, and these will close when they reach a cap.) Strange Horizons pays $0.10/word for fiction, $50 for poetry, and $49-150 for essays. Send 2,000-7,000 words of fiction for the Afrosurrealism issue, poetry of any length, and nonfiction of 2,000-3,000 words on the thee. Details here, here, here, and here.
The Markaz Review
Their website says, “The Markaz Review is a literary arts publication and cultural institution that curates content and programs on the greater Middle East and our communities in diaspora.” They run themed issues; the deadline for their ‘Returning Home’ theme is 18th April and for their Out of Our Minds (mental health issue) is 23rd May 2025. They accept “essay, short fiction, book excerpt, art, film, music, photography or other creative expression, which may spark important conversations.” Submissions range from 750-3,000 words. They pay an honorarium.
Harbor Editions – 2025 Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period
The press offers fee-free submissions to BIPOC writers and previous finalists for their ‘Harbor Editions – 2025 Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period’; the deadline is end-May; see the relevant category in Submittable for details.
Foglifter
They want work from LGBTQ+ writers only – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, hybrid works, drama, and art. “Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart.” Send up to 7,500 words for prose, 3-5 poems, up to 20 pages of drama or hybrid works. They pay $50. Also see their ‘Writers In Need’ funds for and by contributors, on their guidelines page. The deadline is 1 May 2025. Details here and here.
FIYAH
They only accept submissions from Black writers of the African Diaspora. They want speculative fiction and poetry on the ISEKAI, aka Waking Up in Another World theme. Send fiction of 2,000-15,000 words, or poetry up to 1,000 words. They pay $0.08/word for fiction and $50 for poetry, the deadline is 30 April 2025. Details here.
the other side of hope: journeys in refugee and immigrant literature
Submissions are open for this magazine. “we consider fiction, poetry & artworks by refugees and immigrants only; narrative non-fiction by everyone on the theme of migration.” They pay. The deadline is 30 April 2025.
Adi Magazine
Adi is a feminist literary journal of global politics. They are open now for fiction submissions. “Adi is thinking about alternative political visions for a world in desperate need of them. We want examples from outside of the mainstream, stories about practices, ideas, and movements that were/are suppressed by economic, socio-cultural, religious, or imperial (colonial) powers. We privilege perspectives from the Global South…But we are also interested in the experiences of all marginalized peoples everywhere as they have explored alternative economies, subversive strategies, and surprising solidarities.” And, stories “could be based on historical events, or could focus on imagined futures that subvert current empires.” They accept flash and short fiction as well as translations. Send stories up to 5,000 words. They pay $200 for flash, $500 for short fiction. The deadline is 4 May 2025.
Room Magazine
They accept creative writing submissions from people of marginalized genders only, including but not limited to women –cisgender and transgender, transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. At the time of writing, they were open to unthemed, fee-free submissions in all categories by Canadian writers of marginalized genders only – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. They’ll close by category as they fill. Send up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 5 poems; they pay CAD50-200 for writing; details here and here.
Agbowo
They only want submissions from writers of African origin – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, and art. They have detailed guidelines for each genre, please read them carefully. They pay NGN 20,000-50,000. The deadline is 31 May 2025. Details here and here.
Rough Cut Press
They publish work from the LGBTQIA community, and have monthly themed submission calls. Send short prose of up to 650 words on the Spirals theme. Pay is $25. The deadline is 27 April 2025.
Usawa Literary Review: Memories of the Future
Their website says, “The Usawa Literary Review is a bi-annual English language literary magazine dedicated to feminist literature and writings by and about underrepresented communities.” Their submission call says, “Time flows linearly. We move forward and then memories sneak up and take us back or rather, bring to the present what once was. And in dreams instead of falling downwards, the sand in our hourglass may start moving up.
All memory is imagination. All dreams are…well dreams.
Imagining, dreaming, and remembering by their very nature resist censor. Are they acts of resistance then? Then writing in their language must be too.
When we mine your dreams tomorrow what would we find?
For its Summer 2025 Issue, Usawa Literary Review invites contributions in genres of poetry, short fiction, reviews, interviews, essays, and creative non-fiction, based around the theme, ‘Memories of the Future ’.” Submission is via a form on their website. Length guidelines are 2,000-5,000 words for fiction, up to 5,000 words for creative nonfiction, up to 4 poems, and they pay INR1,000/$12 (see website). The deadline is 25 April 2025.
Text Power Telling
Text Power Telling’s mission is to create a supportive and healing community for survivors to use their writing, art, and creativity to take back power from sexual trauma. They are open to submissions for their PRIDE issue of the magazine, through April 20th.
Another Chicago Magazine
They are open to nonfiction submissions from BIPOC writers through May 31st. They are open to nonfiction work of various lengths and focuses.
Fruitslice
Fruitslice showcases work created by members of the LGBTQA+ community. Their current theme is Home, which you can learn more about here. They close to submissions on April 20th.
Reckoning
This paying market focuses on creative work about environmental justice. They say they are always “seeking work from Indigenous writers and artists, racialized writers and artists, queer, trans and/or disabled writers and artists, and anyone, anywhere in the world, who has suffered the consequences, intended or otherwise, of dominant society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world.” See their special submission call on the theme, It Was Paradise, here.
Plenitude Magazine
They are Canada’s only queer literary magazine. They are only open to submissions from queer authors and only consider Canadian submissions in some categories. They use Submittable, and close to submissions when they hit caps, but all categories reopen at the start of the month. They are a paying market.
The Saartjie Journal
This new journal is only open to writing and visual art by Black women artists and writers. They accept submissions of previously unpublished original poems, short stories, and visual art.
Entre: Magazine of the Arts
They publish creative fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual works. Everything they publish focuses “on the queer and/or Latina/o/x/e experience and/or any experiences that deal with hybridity, fluidity, and inbetweenness (be it race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, etc.) Artists do not have to belong to the queer and/or Latina/o/x/e communities in order to submit to our magazine; however, in alignment with Entre‘s mission, queer and/or Latina/o/x/e artists may be given higher consideration-” They close to submissions on June 16th.
The Ana
This QBIPOC founded and run journal is open to submissions from all and profoundly opposed to hate speech. They publish fiction, nonfiction, essays, cross genre literature, and poetry as well as poetry in translation and visual art. They close to submissions on June 1st.
citizen trans* {project}
This project by new words {press} “seeks to publish & archive the voices & experiences of trans* writers in this anti-trans, post-election country. we’re sad. we’re angry. we’re disillusioned, tired & betrayed. as writers, it’s our job to write regardless. to shed light, to truth tell, to burn.” Their primary theme is post election writing. The submission deadline is April 30th.
Oyster River Pages
They publish fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry and particularly encourage submissions from emerging writers. They also state: “We are especially eager to publish pieces that engage with the work of marginalized and decentered people—Black and Brown creators, LGBTQ+ creators, and creators of all levels of dis/ability, and to that end, we invite creators to self-identify in their submissions.” They close to submissions on May 1st.
Mande
This is a journal of bipolar talent. “Mande is always open to submissions from bipolar creatives on any topic. While I appreciate the long shadows bipolar throws, I’m particularly interested at the moment in its high points, in any joy or positive elements you find in bipolar. We also publish work by people familiar with bipolar, as long as it’s directly related to manic depression.” They pay for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. They pay $50-250.
The Missing Slate
They are open to submissions from everyone but especially seeking submissions from authors from underrepresented backgrounds. They are open to submissions for their summer issue on the theme of Labyrinth, till April 20th.
Midwest Weird
This is an audio literary magazine, seeking submissions of weird fiction or nonfiction from Midwestern authors, with a particular interest in underrepresented communities.
Cripple Punk Mag
This Substack publishes “essays, criticism, news and reviews, literary nonfiction, fiction, rants and raves, comics, and hybrid works on the subject of disability and live music, especially within the context of punk, alternative, and DIY music.” They also have an annual print anthology. Payment starts at $10 and is dependent on length and sliding scale based on need. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Previously published work is allowed, and work should be between 300 and 1000 words in length.
The Southeast Review
This journal established in 1979 as Sundog, is a national literary magazine housed in the English department at Florida State University, edited and managed by graduate students. They charge for most submissions but are open to submissions from BIPOC Writers of Creative Nonfiction, and Young Adult Fiction. Both these submissions have caps on them. If either of the calls reaches the upper limit of free submissions for the cap they will temporarily close to submissions, but should reopen at the start of the month.
The West Trestle Review
This respected journal is only open to submissions previously unpublished poetry and art by creators around the globe who self-identify as women or as non-binary. They are always open to free submissions by BIPOC writers who self-identify as women or as non-binary, and you can see those guidelines here.
Woodsqueer
This new literary journal describes their focus by stating “At Woodsqueer, we view nature as inherently “queer.” It’s queer to care about the fate of our natural world, to possess this liminal space, and to make a dwelling of your own there. While we are especially interested in the voices of underrepresented artists, we are looking for any writer who thinks their work to be queer within our natural world.” They accept poetry, fiction, and essays as well as art and photography. They are open to previously published work as long as the author is upfront about the work being a reprint.
Decolonial Passage
According to their website they “publish writing from writers of all backgrounds regardless of race, origin, or gender while simultaneously centering African, African American, and Black Diaspora writing.” Their mission statement goes into more details about this. They are open on a rolling basis to essays, creative nonfiction, short stories, and flash fiction. They are open to poetry only during the months of January, March, May, July, September or November.
AC|DC
They publish short stories and creative nonfiction by LGBTQIA+ authors. They are currently open to submissions.
Magnets and Ladders
They publish the work of disabled writers in two issues a year.
DisLit Youth Magazine
They only publish work by writers 14-22, and they primarily publish disabled writers.
AURORE
This publications tagline is “a curated collection of erotic stories written by and for women and LGBTQ+ based on their own experiences”. They publish nonfiction erotica and their website is NSFW, please do not visit it if you are under 18.
ALOCASIA
A journal of queer plant-based writing. They accept submissions on a rolling basis.
Heaven Magazine
They are interested in publishing fiction, creative non fiction, flash, and poetry by all underrepresented creators.
Sinister Wisdom
A multicultural lesbian literary & art journal. Founded in 1976, this literary journal is always open to submissions.
Saffron City Press
Saffron City Press is an online literary journal dedicated to amplifying the voices of Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern-American writers.
Plentitude
They want submissions from LGBTQ2S+ writers only; their Submittable has separate submission slots for Canadian and international writers. Every genre has a monthly submission cap. Pay is CAD60 per poem, CAD125 per prose contribution (fiction and creative nonfiction), CAD100 for book reviews and Genre Bender (hybrid) submissions. Details here and here.
Arcanum Magazine
Arcanum Magazine is a digital and print magazine for creative writing, visual art, cultural criticism, and journalism by and for the Black diaspora. They are a paying market that is open on a rolling basis to creative writing, cultural criticism, news, and journalism, as well as visual art.
Bookish Brews
They describe themselves as a “book blog and a celebration of diverse books and authors (with a side of your favorite brew)”. They prioritize BIPOC writers but are open to submissions from other historically underrepresented groups also. They publish nonfiction, craft, and lifestyle essays as well as book reviews.
Mayday: Black
For Mayday: Black submissions, they want nonfiction pitches and drafts from Black writers – their website says, they are “committed to delivering a new experience for Black writers, including those seeking first-time publication. We welcome nonfiction work in opinions and analyses; personal, braided, and reported essays in contemporary and historical contexts. Bring your authentic, curious, courageous, well-rounded stories on life, living, love, loss, representation, race, racism, death, dying, Black plight and civil rights, neighborhood blight, gentrification, white flight, and more. (In no way is this an exhaustive list!)” They pay $50 for Mayday: Black essays of 800-3,000 words. Details here and here. (This magazine also occasionally accepts fiction, nonfiction, culture pieces, poetry, reviews, interviews, and translations from all writers, and pays $10-20 for these.)
Zindabad Zine
This print and electronic publication is based in the UK. They are open to submissions on a rolling basis. Currently they are closed to submissions for the print issue but open to electronic ones. They only accept work from people “in a diaspora”. They publish personal essays, articles, poetry, fiction, visual art and photography.
The Kalahari Review
A weekly African literary magazine interested in material exploring modern Africa and Africans in unique and avant-garde ways. They publish their work on Medium.
Transition
Born in Africa and bred in the diaspora, Transition is a publication of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, published three times annually. Transition publishes writing by and about Africa and the African diaspora, with an eye towards a global perspective. They accept submissions year-round on a rolling basis, and generally respond to submissions within four months.
Lavender Review
An international, biannual e-zine published in June and December, they are open to submissions of poetry and art by, about, and for lesbians (including whatever LGBTQ might appeal to a lesbian readership). Submissions are open year round.
Ricepaper
This publication offers Asian Canadian context to ongoing arts and cultural issues, new perspectives on emerging and established Asian Canadian artists, and challenges mainstream media perspectives, little-known facts of interest, or critical stories that haven’t been told elsewhere. They are open to submissions from Asian writers around the globe as long as the editors can see a link between the content and some aspect of the Asian Canadian experience.
Raising Mothers
Raising Mothers celebrates and centers the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and Brown parents. Some sections have reading periods; columns are open year-round. Guidelines are here.
African Writer
They are open to all genres of literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. They do not allow simultaneous submissions.
Afritondo
According to their website, “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.” They accept a wide range of work, including manuscript-length work.
Brittle Paper
Brittle Paper is an online literary magazine for readers of African Literature. They accept the following: “fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, book reviews, essays, literary commentaries, fun listicles, and any writing with a literary bent”.
Torch Literary Arts
Torch Literary Arts is a nonprofit organization. They publish and promote creative writing by Black women only; you can read more about them here. They publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers. “We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what Black women’s contemporary writing should be.” General submissions are accepted for Friday Features only, in which they publish fiction, hybrid works, poetry, and drama (including that accompanied by video or dramatic audio). Send up to 2,500 for fiction/hybrid works, up to 10 pages for drama, or up to 5 poems. Pay is $150. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis; you can submit here.
Tagg Magazine
Tagg is a US-based queer women’s publication. Their website has several themes they accept articles on, including personal essays, listicles, dating advice and fashion-related content. Articles are 350-1,000 words long and pay $75-175. They welcome pitches for article ideas. See the pitch guide for contributors here.
Bi Women Quarterly
BWQ features the voices of women “with bi+ sexualities (i.e., bi, pan, fluid, and other non-binary sexualities)” and they see “woman” as a broad category and welcome contributions those who identify as trans, non-binary, cis, etc. They publish articles, creative writing, musings, and more.
KOENING ZINE
They publish art, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction submissions primarily by Asians, but they are open to submissions from non-Asians. Their uniting theme is Asian Folklore. Submitters must be over 18.
POETRY SANGO-OTA
We only usually include journals currently open to submissions, but this list is always published on the third Thursday of a given month, and this journal is only open to submissions through the 1st to the 10th of each month, so we are listing it and encouraging you to set a calendar alert for when it reopens on the 1st of the next month. “We are interested in poems with a keen connection to a sense of place, nature, or otherworldly geographies.” They only publish African poets, and pay N2,500 per poem.
The Gay & Lesbian Review
The Gay & Lesbian Review is a bimonthly magazine of history, culture, and politics targeting an educated readership of LGBT people, and their allies that publishes themed features (2,000-4,000 words), reviews, interviews, and departments. They have announced a couple of themed calls, and they also invite suggestions for future themes.
- Anthropologies: Sexual variants in non-Western cultures
- The State of LGBT Rights: What’s next for the movement?
Writers can send proposals or complete pieces. They pay for features ($250) and full-length book reviews ($100).
The Acentos Review
The Acentos Review publishes writing, art, music and multigenre work by Latinx writers. They are open to submissions all year long. Details here.
Craft
This respected literary journal is open to creative work from authors of all backgrounds, but they offer free submissions + fast response times to BIPOC and other mis- and underrepresented writers, here. Craft pays $100 for flash and $200 for short fiction and creative nonfiction.
Aloka
They want work by non-native English speakers only – poetry, translations, fiction, and hybrid work. Send up to 5 poems, or up to 2 prose pieces, up to 2,500 words each.
The Lighthouse / Black Girl Projects
The tagline of The Lighthouse is, “Cultivating spaces of solidarity and safety for southern Black girls to shine through focused programming and research.” They have an extensive guide for pitching articles, including “We … are always looking for thought-provoking stories and other content from marginalized communities, Black girls, (in particular, but not exclusively) and gender non-conforming people. In addition to story and long-form story pitches and op-eds, they accept photography and original artwork for their online blogging platform, The Black Girl Times, and their monthly newsletter, The Black Girl Times Redux. Also, “Each month, we have an editorial theme board (kind of like the mood boards interior designers use) we post on our social media accounts (@luvblkgrls). The theme board is intended to be an inspiration and provocation of thoughts, ideas and feelings. Your response(s) can be literal or abstract and loose. And again, it might not have anything to do with anything we’ve seen.” Pay is $0.25-$1/word. Pay for art (graphic design, cartoons and photo essays) is $150-1,000.
Breath & Shadow
Breath & Shadow only publishes work from people with disabilities. This is how they define disability: “We use the term “disability” broadly to encompass anyone with a physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, or sensory impairment that significantly affects one or more major life functions.” They accept writing on any topic in terms of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and drama. Pieces do not have to be about disability. The academic or article type nonfiction, including profiles, interviews, and opinion pieces, do have to relate to disability in some way. They pay $25 per poem (max 2) and $40 for prose.
Screen Door Review
They only publish work by individuals who are Southern and queer. You can learn more about how they define Southern here. They publish flash fiction and poetry.
Emergent Literary
An exciting new literary journal that accepts a wide range of submissions from Black and Brown authors.
LatinX Lit Audio Mag
LatinX Lit Mag is a safe space for literary work written by authors who identify as Latinx or Hispanic.
Presses/Anthologies
Brigids Gate Press: Women of the Weird West
This is a speculative fiction anthology, and they want submissions from writers of marginalized genders only. “Traditionally, women authors have been vastly underrepresented in westerns and weird westerns, so this anthology will highlight authors of marginalized genders and their speculative western short stories. We are looking for original Weird West stories. These should be generally set in what approximates the “Old West” location and timeframe (North America circa late 1800s) and should have a strong speculative element, such as horror, fantasy and/or sci-fi. … We strongly encourage all marginalized genders to submit regardless of writing experience.” They pay $0.10/word for stories up to 6,000 words. The deadline is 30 April 2025.
fifth wheel press
They only accept submissions from individuals who belong to the queer, trans, and/or gender variant communities. They are open for an anthology on the brainrot theme; pay is $5 and the deadline is 30 April 2025 for this call.
Brain Mill Press
They are a traditional publisher that focuses on marginalized and underrepresented authors. They are currently open to novella submissions for two separate calls. In terms of mystery novellas they are currently considering manuscripts on the theme “beyond the grave” and the mystery novellas must be must be between 20,000-40,000 words on the theme of “beyond the grave.” In terms of horror novellas they are open to manuscripts between 20,000-50,000 words on the theme of “ashes, bones, and relics. Novellas will be published in print and eBooks. They stress that “novellas must strongly embody the theme.” They close both calls on June 1st.
Palimpsest Press
A small press specializing in poetry and other literary works, they only publish Canadian authors. They are open to submissions from authors who identify as BIPOC, Deaf, or Disabled, all year round. Learn more here.
NeuroQueer: Annual Spoon Knife anthology
NeuroQueer is an imprint of Autonomous Press, and they publish an annual genre bending anthology called Spoon Knife which is now accepting submissions of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They are a paying market. Autonomous Press does not accept unagented submissions, but this is one of the ways they find authors. The theme of this anthology is Polarites, and they include details and image along the theme lines on their site. They pay $30, plus 1 cent per word. All contributors also receive a copy of the anthology their work appears in. The deadline for submissions is July 31st.
Phoenix
Phoenix is a new speculative imprint launched by Nigerian publisher Ouida Books in collaboration with Nnedi Okorafor and Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn. Phoenix is dedicated to publishing African speculative fiction and fantasy (Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism). You can learn more about it here.
The Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
This opportunity, from Black Lawrence Press, is for immigrants living in the US – for manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid writing. “Poets and authors, at any stage of their careers, who identify as immigrants are welcome to submit a book manuscript of poetry or prose or a hybrid text for consideration. Submissions are accepted year-round. However, selections are made in June and November for a total of two books per year. In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors.”
North Dakota State University Press: Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples Series
The goal of this series to feature the authentic stories, poetry, and scholarly works of Native Americans, First Nations, Maori, Aborigines, Indians, and more to give voice to contemporary Indigenous peoples. NDSU Press considers book-length manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for publication in this series.
Random House Canada
The Canadian arm of Random House changed their submission policy have opened their policy exclusively to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC writers, as well as those from other traditionally underrepresented communities. They are particularly looking for “High quality commercial fiction in the following genres: literary, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and mystery. Please note that we do not currently accept screenplays, stage plays, young adult fiction, children’s fiction, or picture book queries. All non-fiction submissions must be submitted via a literary agent.” They are open to submissions internationally, this is not limited to Canadians.
Somos en escrito Literary Foundation Press
They publish a literary magazine as well as books, they are “dedicated to publishing raza authors to express the narratives and needs of our communities, which typically get overlooked by the mainstream presses. We intend to be the institution nobody else will build for us.”
Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, Penguin Teen Canada
These children and teen focused Canadian imprints are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrators only. Authors need not be Canadian.
Monsoon Books
This respected press accepts unsolicited manuscripts with Asian, particularly Southeast Asian, themes.
Arsenal Pulp Press
A Canadian independent press that publishes a wide variety of work, prioritizes work by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. We have reviewed them here.
Blind Eye Books
Blind Eye Books publishes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance novels featuring LGBTQ protagonists. They are a print publisher and their book covers are beautifully designed and really stand out. The books they have published have won and been nominated for a number of awards, including the Lambda. We have reviewed them here.
Lily
A small poetry press that publishes work of varying length. Submitting shorter work is free for everyone, but submitting poetry manuscripts is free only for poets who identify as Black. They are always open to these submissions.
Sourcebooks
We’ve reviewed Sourcebooks here, and their adult nonfiction imprint and their romance and horror imprints are always open to all submissions, but they also deserve to be on this list because their fiction imprint, their mystery imprint, their young adult imprint, and three of their children’s book imprints, all say “Our submissions are currently CLOSED to unagented projects, with the exception of works that directly promote diversity, equality and inclusion. For more information please email InclusiveFiction@Sourcebooks.com.” So if you have work that matches that description in those genres, please reach out to them.
Angry Robot
A great science fiction publisher that only accepts direct submissions from Black authors.
Heartdrum
Heartdrum is an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which is edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and is in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Native and First Nations writers and writer-illustrators are welcome to query her directly via a form on her website. Native and First Nations illustrators are also invited to reach out.
Opportunities/Support/Contests
CINTAS Foundation: Fellowship in Creative Writing
This is a creative writing fellowship for writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Applications can be in English or Spanish. Fellows who are not U.S. citizens and who are living abroad must provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number when they accept the fellowship to receive payment. The foundation also offers fellowships for other disciplines – architecture & design, music composition, photography, and visual arts. A work sample is part of the submission requirement.
The award is $25,000, and the deadline is 1 May 2025. Details here (scroll down), here, here.
2026 Cave Canem Prize
The Cave Canem Prize is awarded annually to the best debut collection of poems by a Black poet. Cave Canem defines Black poets as any poet who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora. This years winner receives $10,000, publication by Graywolf Press in fall 2025, 15 copies of the book, and a feature reading. The deadline is May 8th, at 11:59 EST.
Lee & Low Books: New Voices Award
Lee & Low is an established press that hosts this award biennially. Submissions are only open to unpublished writer of color or Native/Indigenous writers who are also legal US residence. The award is given for a picture book manuscript intended to be read by children ages 5 to 12. They say that “Manuscripts should address the needs of children of color or Native/Indigenous children by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another. Themes relating to different family structures, gender identity, LGBTQ+ communities, or disabilities are also of interest.” Submissions will close on June 30, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. They ask that you make sure you are able to abide by the eligibility and manuscript submission guidelines before entering. New Voices Award winners receive a standard publication contract, including Lee & Low Books’s basic royalties as well as an advance in the amount of $5,000.
Curtis Brown Creatives: Scholarship Opportunities
Curtis Brown Creatives regularly offers scholarships for their courses. Some are London-based and some are online. Right now they have have two scholarships with approaching deadlines: The UTA Scholarship for TV Screenwriters with Low Income and The Breakthrough YA & Children’s Fiction Scholarship for Writers of Colour. Additional eligibility details are on the website.
Terrain.org Editor’s Prize
They welcome submissions on place, climate, and justice – fiction (short story, flash fiction series, novel excerpt, radio play, or other fiction piece), non-fiction, and poetry. They also accept translations, and art. Payment for general submissions is $50. And, “All accepted submissions by writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and/or other marginalized communities whose contributions explore place particularly in the context of social, environmental, or climate justice are considered for our annual Editor’s Prize of $500 per genre.” There is no separate submission process or entry fee for this contest; they have other, fee-based contests too. Certain sections, like Letter to America and ArTerrain, are open year-round, and other sections have submission periods, or are open periodically. The deadline is the 30th April 2025 for fiction and nonfiction.
Princeton University Press: Global Equity Grants
These grants are for authors of underrepresented groups to support the preparation of works that is already under contract, in production, or published within the last 12 months. Grants range from $500 to $2,000. The grants can be used to cover a wide range of supports including parental/family care, and translation. More details at the source. Applications are considered on a rolling basis.
Curtis Brown Creatives: Scholarship Opportunities
Curtis Brown Creatives regularly offers scholarships for their courses. Some are London-based and some are online. Right now they have only have one scholarship with approaching deadlines: the UTA Scholarship for TV Screenwriters with Low Income. Additional eligibility details are on the website.
The Writing Barn Scholarship
The Writing Barn has a small but budding scholarship program available for our programming. Scholarships are awarded on the following criteria: seriousness of purpose, talent and financial need. They also offer specific Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity scholarships for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiverse writers, and writers with disabilities.
Creative Capital, Skoll Foundation, Mellon Foundation: Forward Funds
The crowdsourcing platform for creatives, Kickstarter, now has Forward Funds. Their website says, “Forward Funders are foundations, nonprofits, and organizations that back Kickstarter campaigns related to their visions and missions around a more creative and equitable world. Each Forward Funder makes a public commitment and then backs projects just like anyone else—through single pledges that bring the works one step closer to reality.” One such fund is the $700,000 fund from Creative Capital, Skoll Foundation, and Mellon Foundation. “Creative Capital in collaboration with Skoll Foundation and Mellon Foundation have partnered in this $700,000 fund to support innovative and impactful projects across all categories by Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx creators in the United States (US citizens, permanent residents, and O-1 visa holders).” Projects launched on Kickstarter following their rules are eligible, and creators can nominate themselves for specific Forward Funds. This is for both, creators and organizations.
BIPOC scholarship for Emily Harstone’s classes at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish
Each time Emily Harstone offers a solo class through the Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish, there is now an opportunity for one to two writers who identify as BIPOC to take it for free. If you registered last year, please note that the form re-set in January, and you are encouraged to fill it out again.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
