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
The Fool’s World: Immigrant Voices
The Fool’s World is a travel literary magazine of poetry, prose and visual art. They are currently seeking poetry, essays, and art on “a personal experience with immigration”. The deadline is 1st September 2025. Details here and here.
IHRAM Press Publishes: Life with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses
This magazine is a project of International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM) and they publish on a quarterly schedule, with different social justice themes. For this quarter, they are “Shining a light on life with disabilities and invisible illnesses, this edition raises awareness of the societal attitudes and injustices faced by the disabled community. It explores the impact on identity, memory, and sexuality while advocating for understanding and inclusivity.
We are eager to publish firsthand experiences by those living with a disability, reflections of the author’s personal experiences with societal justices towards illnesses, and the after-effects of discrimination on an author’s identity and sexuality.” Apart from essays (up to 2,500 words), they accept poetry, short stories, and art. They pay $50 for written work. The submission deadline is 31 August 2025.
(IHRAM is also open for work another issue, the theme is Homelessness and the Unhoused, deadline 1 December 2025, details here.
Also see their contests, the Rhonda Gail Williford Award for Poetry, deadline 30th September and African Human Rights Spoken Words Contest, deadline 31 October; both are open to all writers.)
The Black Ordinary
The Black Ordinary a publishing a new zine and they will soon publish their first issue. “The Black Ordinary welcomes pitches from artists, archivists, historians, researchers, and writers of all backgrounds and experience levels to pitch ideas for writing topics relevant to the preservation of Black-American* histories and culture.
*How we define “Black-American”: While the histories of the entire African diaspora are closely intertwined, The Black Ordinary’s work is centered on the histories and cultures of direct descendants of enslaved peoples forcibly brought to the modern-day United States from the continent of Africa via the transatlantic slave-trade. Please be mindful about whether this experience mirrors your own.” They will publish archive and collection highlights (curated selection of digitized archive materials, archivists writing about Black-American archives), essays and reviews of art exhibitions, performances, talks, screenings, conferences, public art, current ideas, artist books, or catalogs (see the guidelines in the pitch form for details), interviews, as well as poems, fiction, photo essays, hybrid and experimental writing. They pay $250 to writers whose pitches are successful. The deadline is 30 August 2025. Details here, here, and here.
Heartlines Spec
This is a Canadian magazine of speculative fiction and poetry, focused on long-term relationships. Please note, they will publish at least 50% work from Canadian writers for each issue. “We’re looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don’t want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years.
Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that’s ok.
We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules.” They will soon open for their Autumn reading period; their early submission period for equity-deserving groups, which includes (but is not limited to): Racialized people, People with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, Indigenous people, Women, and Neurodivergent people, is August 24-31 and regular submissions (for all writers) are open September 1-30. Length guidelines are: 1,000-3,500 words for fiction; up to 5 poems. They pay CAD0.08/word for fiction; CAD60/poem. Details here. Their submission portal will open during the reading period.
Lọúnlọún
This call is only for “African writers, and those of African descent, home and abroad.” Their website says, “We are a literary journal focused on historical fiction based on historical events that have shaped and defined places and times in Africa and the experiences of those who lived through the events—or didn’t—no matter how minute. We’re interested in a car crash in 2004 published in the local newspapers as much as we are in the Rwandan and Biafran genocides of 1994 and 1967, respectively.
We are interested in speculative or factual tellings of African history centred on themes across Economics, Society & Politics, Gender & Feminism, Hope & Healing, Identity & Belonging, and War, Conflicts, & Disaster.” They only accept fiction (2,000-4,000 words), and the deadline is 31 August 2025. Details here.
Reckoning
They publish work on environmental justice, and for their 10th issue, they’re reading submissions broadly around the Communication theme. “What brought us to this? How do those of us who grasp the direness of our situation—as a species, as a global community—convey or fail to convey that to others? These are dauntingly complex questions, and it’s clear the familiar solutions fall catastrophically short. Show us new answers, new framings. Reach for the weird tools, the neglected ones. Show us how journalism should work. Tell us stories about stories. Illuminate the economic structures behind our educational institutions and the walls against understanding that dog our international borders. Interpret the data for us, then interpret the interpreters. Let’s crack open the ways knowledge is produced and spread amid late-stage capitalism.
We’re seeking art, poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction … in particular from Indigenous, Black, Brown, queer, trans, disabled, neurodivergent and/or otherwise marginalized writers and artists from everywhere.” Length guidelines are: up to 15,000 words for prose, up to 10 pages for poetry; pay is $0.10/word for prose, $50/poem. The deadline is 22 September 2025. Details here and here.
Cast of Wonders: Young Author Showcase
Cast of Wonders is Escape Artists’ speculative young adult (YA) online and audio magazine. “All stories should contain a clear speculative element and be appropriate for a YA audience. We particularly encourage submissions from authors whose backgrounds are under-represented in publishing, and also love #ownvoices submissions.” They have detailed guidelines on what counts as young adult, please read them carefully. For this submission window, they want submissions by young authors only, under 20 years of age. They also accept reprints. They pay $0.08/word for original stories up to 6,000 words. The deadline is 31 August 2025. Details here (guidelines), here (schedule), and here (submission portal + details of Young Author Showcase 2025). Cast of Wonders will accept submissions from all authors in the first two weeks of September, see their schedule.
Augur and Tales & Feathers Magazines
Augur Magazine, as well as its sibling magazine Tales & Feathers, opened on 1st August; they are reading submissions for Issue 9. Augur publishes sci-fi, fantasy, dreamy realism, and more, as well as speculative poetry; and Tales & Feathers publishes cozy and slice of life fantasy. While both magazines are open for general submissions (i.e. from all writers) till 31st August, they also have extended submission windows for marginalized creators; Augur will remain open to submissions from trans, disabled, and/or BIPOC creators and creators residing in Canada/Turtle Island until September 15th, and Tales & Feathers will remain open to submissions from all trans, disabled, and/or BIPOC creators until September 15th, 2025. Also, Augur has separate submission categories for Canadian and international writers, please be sure to submit in the correct one.
Length guidelines are: Augur – up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems; Tales & Feathers – up to 2,500 words for fiction. Pay is $0.14 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (800+ words), and a flat fee of $112.00 per flash fiction piece (800 words and under) for both magazines; $100 (CAD) for poetry. Details here (guidelines for both magazines), here (submissions for Augur), and here (submissions for Tales & Feathers).
New Words Press
They are a trans* and gender-expansive poetry and hybrid journal that is open to submissions from now through September 1st. They are also seeking submissions for their ongoing series “trans* voices in trump america”.
My Galvanized Friend
This literary magazine is published biannually (summer/winter) and is focused on highlighting works from those identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. They publish fiction, nonfiction, and essays between 500 and 3,500 words as well as works of poetry and original works of art by queer artists across the United States. They accept submissions year round but typically review and consider work in the month prior to each publication. It is part of a non-profit focused on the LGBTQIA+ community. They want submissions on the theme, Centering Joy, and they pay $10-25. The deadline is 31 October 2025.
Fatal Flaw
They are currently open to submissions for their 13th issue, which is focused on the theme of TRASH. They have additional details at their website. They charge for most submissions but not for submissions by BIPOC writers. They close to submissions on September 12th.
The Linden Review
Based out of the University of Nebraska at Omaha they publish only creative nonfiction, generally only on the topic of health. However for their 8th issue they are only accepting work by LGBTQIA and BIPOC writers and it need not be on the topic of health. For their 9th issue they are also open to any topic, but the work must be flash fiction. Authors from any background can submit to the 9th issue. Both calls are currently open without a deadline stated.
Room Magazine: Science
This Canadian magazine accepts work by persons of marginalized genders only, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. They want submissions on the Science theme. They accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry and art. They want work on the Science theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Science is both a lexicon for what we know and a field of exploration for what we don’t know yet. In Room Magazine’s Science, as in science, we will savour curiosity, question orthodoxy, dig into hidden histories and understudied areas, and titrate, examine, hypothesize, collaborate, queer, and dream our way to wilder futures. How do we come about and decide what is knowledge? What knowledge is accessible, credible/sanctioned, or forbidden? What pseudo-sciences shaped society in the past, and are doing so now? What does it mean to have nonhuman teachers during the Anthropocene?”
Send up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 5 poems. They pay CAD50-200 for writing. They have separate submission categories for Canadian and international writers. They close by category as they reach their submission quota. Details here and here.
CVNT
A new journal that declares they exist “for the solicitation, exhibition, advancement, & support of transfeminine writers”. Submissions are restricted to transfeminine people, binary trans women, & genderqueer folks. They accept submissions of poetry, fiction, & creative nonfiction on a rolling basis.
Meridians
The journal is a venture of Smith College and is published by Duke University Press. Their mission is to make scholarship by and about women of color central to contemporary definitions of feminisms in the explorations of women’s economic conditions, cultures, and sexualities, as well as of the forms and meanings of resistance and activist strategies. Alongside scholarly work they also accept poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. They close to submissions for this reading period on September 30th.
Gasp Magazine
I’m not linking to this publication in the title, because their website is not safe for work as they are a publisher of adult work. Please do not click on this link unless you are 18+/ They focus on sharing a multifaceted discussions on sexuality, eroticism, and queerness. They are interested in essays, interviews, research articles, creative writing, poetry, artistic illustrations, and photography (with additional rules) that reflect upon sex or the absence thereof in one way or another.
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.
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.
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 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”. Because it is a NSFW site, the link to get to it is here, instead of the title, please only click on it if you are 18+ They publish nonfiction erotica and their website is NSFW, please do not visit it if you are under 18.
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 (international submissions will reopen on 1st September for poetry, and on 1st October for fiction and creative nonfiction). 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.
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.
- Forgotten History: From a Civil War bromance to a lesbian prison riot
- The Kink Issue: Alternative sexualities
- Ethnographic Journeys: LGBT lives in premodern cultures
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 Times
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.
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.
Presses/Anthologies
Lonely Cryptid Media: Trans/Port – Trans Speculative Fiction for a Queer Future
This is a fiction anthology. “Give us your cyber, your cyborgs, your cyberpunk, cybering, cybersex, cybergender, cyberqueer! Your future-state anti-gender, pro-gender, mixed-gender, beyond-gender, without-gender, playful-gender, WTF-gender. Bodies changing and being changed, bodies that are permeable, bodies that resist, bodies resisted, bodies transcended, bodies that become and are becoming.” And, “The title of this anthology is intentionally open to interpretation. Give us trans like transporting, transforming, translating, transmitting, transcendental, transistor (radio? Sure!), and of course transgender!” They pay $0.01/word for stories of 3,000-7,000 words. “The priority submission window is for those folks historically marginalized or excluded from the publishing world due to race, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, class, or other structural inequity. If you miss the priority window you can still submit to the general window. The priority submission window opens August 15 – August 31 2025. The general submission window is September 1 – September 15 2025.”
Fourteen Poems
They publish LGBTQ+ poets only, for their thrice-yearly anthologies. They are reading submissions for their 18th issue. Send up to 5 poems; they pay £30/poem. The deadline is 1 September 2025 (see guidelines).
Flame Tree: Africanfuturism Anthology
This is part of their Gothic Fantasy series. Their guidelines say, “we open submissions for Africanfuturism Short Stories.
This is Africa, based in Kenya, defines Africanfuturism as located in “the African point of view, experience, culture, themes, and history with technology based in Africa”. So, we’re expecting stories from Black African, African-diaspora, African–descent writers. And please note the difference between this Africanfuturism title and Afrofuturism. The latter typically includes stories centred on the Black experience in the West. Whereas, for this open submission call, the stories should be set in and about Africa – whether that’s a future Africa, an alternative Africa or a parallel Africa, the choice is yours. The genre implies a lean towards science fiction rather than fantasy, and towards positive scenarios and concepts, but of course is open to interpretation: the publication of these two books offers a dialogue that explores tradition and influence, and fresh insights both about our past, and visions of our future.” They want stories of 2,000-4,000 words. They also accept reprints. They pay $0.08/word for originals. The deadline is 2 November 2025.
(Flame Tree also has other anthologies open for submissions, with varying the themes, requirements, and deadlines; they usually announce all their anthology calls on this page.)
Rebel Satori Press: Queer Space
Rebel Satori Press is open to submissions for their new imprint Queer Space from now through October 31st. The new imprint is open to submissions of “queer positive science fiction right on the bleeding edge of what is possible. We’re looking for all subgenres of speculative fiction involving LGBTQ+ characters written by LGBTQ+ authors, including but not limited to: sci-fi, interstitial, slipstream, horror, and supernatural fictional manuscripts.” They are not interested in erotica. They will only consider book length work.
Small Harbor Publishing: Chapbooks
They are hosting their annual open reading period through the 30th of September. They waive all fees for BIPOC writers to submit.
aunt lute
A multicultural women’s press. Their priority is to publish work by women, both transgender and cisgender, particularly women of color. We have reviewed them here.
Balestier Press
They are committed to promoting diversity in publishing, with a particular focus on Asia. They accept submissions of a wide variety of creative works including fiction, poetry, short stories, graphic novels, creative nonfiction, memoirs. They are also open to works in translation. Assume rejection if you have not heard from them after three months.
Little Puss Press
A feminist press run by trans women. They are open to general submissions of fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. They are also open to reprint proposals of literary/historical works of significance by transgender authors. They have good distribution, excellent press, and have already published work that has won a major award.
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.
Arte Público Press
They focus on publishing literary work by “Hispanic writers”, and they publish work in both English and Spanish, but primarily focus on English work. They also have bilingual children’s and YA book imprint, Piñata Books.
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.
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.
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
Penguin UK: Merkey Books New Writers’ Prize
This is an annual prize, and is open to young (ages 18-35), underrepresented and unpublished writers from across the UK and Ireland. Writers also have to be unagented. It is for a work of literary and commercial fiction; send a synopsis of 200 words and an excerpt of 1,200 words. The winner receives a publishing contract with Merkey Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK, which also includes an advance. And, shortlisted writers will also be invited to their Writers’ Camp. The deadline is 26 August 2025.
Harvard University: Radcliffe Institute Fellowships
These fellowships are for published writers and journalists. They are for various disciplines, including creative arts – which include, but are not limited to, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, as well as journalism, and playwriting. Their guidelines also say, “Applicants may apply as individuals or in a group of two to three people working on the same project. We seek diversity along many dimensions, including discipline, career stage, race and ethnicity, country of origin, gender and sexual orientation, and ideological perspective. Although our fellows come from many different backgrounds, they are united by their demonstrated excellence, collegiality, and creativity.” The fellowship pays $78,000, and an additional $5,000 for project expenses; fellows also get an office at Harvard University, additional funds for moving expenses, childcare and housing, etc. The award is $78,000, with additional funds for project expenses, and other things. The deadline to apply for some disciplines, including creative arts, is 11th September 2025. Details here, here, here, and here.
Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship
This is for published fiction and non-fiction writers who were born in Africa or whose parents were born in Africa (see ‘Do I need to prove my African birth place?’ in FAQ). The money is paid monthly over a course of a year. For non-fiction writers, additional funds can be made available, and given over a period of 18 months. A published writing sample is part of the application (see guidelines). One of the scholarship requirements is, writers have to submit 10,000 words of writing every month (see guidelines). They also say, “The Foundation will not review or comment on the monthly submissions as they come in. However, each Scholar will be offered the opportunity to be mentored by an established author or publisher. In most cases the mentorship will begin after the book has been finished and the Scholarship period has ended.” And, “Scholars are also asked to donate to the MMF 20% of whatever they subsequently receive from the book they write during the period of their Scholarship. … These funds will be used to support other promising writers. The 20% return obligation should be considered a debt of honour rather than a legally binding obligation.” The award is £18,000 for fiction writers, possible additional funds for nonfiction writers, and mentorship. The
deadline to apply is 22 September 2025 (see ‘Important Dates’ in the entry requirements here.) Details here (entry requirements) and here (application form).
Academy of American Poets: Ambroggio Prize
This is an opportunity for US poets. They want a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. Poets may translate their own work or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet; the poet and translator must share the prize. The original manuscript in Spanish must be between 48 and 100 pages. Their website also says, established in 2017, the Ambroggio Prize is the only annual award of its kind in the United States that honors American poets whose first language is Spanish. The prize is $1,000 and publication; the deadline is 15 September 2025. Details here and here. The Academy of American Poets has other awards as well, both fee-free and fee-based – see their Submittable for all open calls.
The Mustapha Matura and Alfred Fagon Awards
The Mustapha Matura Award is an opportunity for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, who are 25 years or younger, for a play. The play must be a minimum of 40 pages, and does not need to have been produced. However, if it has, only plays produced since August 2023 will be considered. The prize is £3,000 and mentoring from a top Black British playwright. The deadline is 31 August 2025. Details here.
And submissions are also open for Alfred Fagon Awards for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, for a play. The award is £6,000, and the deadline is 31 August 2025. Details here.
(Please note, writers cannot enter both the Mustapha Matura Award and Alfred Fagon Award. Also see their Roland Rees Bursary.)
Royal Society of Literature: Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction
This is for UK/Ireland-based writers of non-fiction, to buy them time for completing their first commissioned work (see guidelines). Only works to be published in the UK or Republic of Ireland, or by UK/Ireland-based publishers, are eligible. The award will also take into consideration the author’s financial need. The bursaries are £10,000, £5,000, and £2,500, and the deadline is 1 September 2025. Details here and here.
IHRAM: African Human Rights Spoken Words Contest
This is a contest from International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM), and is open to writers/poets across the world but must address but must address human rights issues in Africa. They have detailed guidelines, including, “The contest aims to bring together poets, artists, and activists from across the African continent to creatively express their thoughts and perspectives on critical matters such as social justice, climate change, women’s empowerment, immigration, human trafficking, police brutality, and violence against women.” Upload a 1-minute video of yourself reciting your original poem of not less than 20MB. You can also perform your poem in sign language. Prizes are $100, $75, and $50, and the deadline is 31 October 2025. Winning works will be showcased at the International Human Rights Art Festival, which will happen in December 2025, in New York City.
(Also see IHRAM’s Rhonda Gail Williford Award for Poetry, for a poem “that incorporates themes of justice, dignity, and resistance”. The prizes are $150, $100, $50, and the deadline is 30 September 2025.)
Horror Writers Association: Diversity Grants
Horror Writers Association has scholarships which offer various amounts for assisting authors in professional development as horror writers. There are various amounts and requirements. Right now, they are open for Diversity Grants, which close 1st October 2025, worth $500 each, which “will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. … the Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse.” They have other grants too with different application periods. Details here.
(They also administer the Bram Stoker Awards for published works in various categories, which close end-November/end-December – see guidelines.
And, keep a lookout on the Speculative Literature Foundation website for upcoming grants; they usually open for the Working Class Writers Grant applications during September and pay $1,000.)
Ricochet Editions
Ricochet Editions (publishes hybrids, from chapbook to full-length) and Gold Line Press (publishes fiction and poetry, and promotes/ elevates the chapbook form) are sibling presses run by students of the University of Southern California’s PhD Program in Creative Writing. Ricochet is accepting hybrid manuscript submissions. While there is a fee for general submissions, they are accepting no-fee manuscript submissions from POC and Indigenous writers and writers facing financial hardship. “Ricochet Editions invites manuscript submissions that are unpredictable. We are looking for purposeful experimentation with language and form that challenges or plays with convention—whether textual or visual, contemporary or historical, personal or cultural. Send us your texts that merge genres and languages, that draw on found forms, that are collaboratively or collectively authored, that collage, fragment, and blend mediums to expand the limits of the book form.” Send manuscripts of 40-200 pages. They will pay $1,000 for if your manuscript is selected for publication. The submission deadline is 1 September 2025.
(And, Gold Line Press is also running contests for chapbook-length fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, deadline end-September, with no-fee submissions from POC, Indigenous writers, and writers facing financial hardship, see the relevant categories in Submittable.)
The 2025 Palette Poetry Prize
Palette runs this contest every year, but this is what they say about what they are seeking this year: “poems that celebrate the community we have by meditating on the role of the poet in this pivotal moment in time.” They waive all entry fees for BIPOC writers. The top prize is $3,000 and publication. They close to submissions on September 21st.
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 $1,000. 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.
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.
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.
