Premier African diaspora literary journal examining African-American and African cultural expression worldwide.

We publish trusted scholarship and connect people to evidence-based knowledge from leading experts, in alignment with Johns Hopkins University's mission to bring the benefits of discovery to the world.

Forgot about National Poetry Month? Don't miss these reading periods before April ends. Here are all our favorite lit mags closing on April 30th / May 1st for that sweet, sweet last-minute sub rush.

Where to Submit for National Poetry Month (at the Eleventh Hour)

Story-focused publications with works chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Less than 5% of nominated fiction typically makes the anthology.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Publications with verse selected for America's foremost poetry anthology. These journals consistently publish poetry representing the most significant contemporary verse across styles and approaches.

Lit Mags Featured in Best American Poetry Anthologies

Publications with pieces chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Recognition of exceptional quality across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Journals that forward outstanding nonfiction to this respected anthology series founded in 1986. These publications identify exceptional essays that might reach the broader readership BAE provides.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best American Essays

BASS represents the most mainstream recognition for short fiction in America. These journals serve as the initial screening layer for potential inclusion in this widely-read collection.

Literary Mags That Nominate for Best American Short Stories

Essay-focused publications with works selected for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have repeatedly identified nonfiction that resonates with Pushcart editors and readers.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Verse-centered publications with poems chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have consistently identified poems that stand out in this intensely competitive field.

Poetry Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Callaloo

Callaloo is a journal devoted to creative work by and critical studies of the work of African Americans and peoples of African descent throughout the African Diaspora. We accept original submissions of scholarly articles, book reviews, interviews, creative nonfiction essays, short fiction, poetry, and visual art. Studies of life and culture in the Black world are also published regularly in Callaloo, as is wide-ranging cultural criticism. General submissions are open from December 1, 2025 to May 1, 2026.
All manuscripts must be double-spaced (except poetry) and submitted as a Word (.doc or .docx) or .rtf document. Identifying information, including the author's name, address, phone number, and email address, should not be included in the manuscript, submission title, or the file name. We suggest that prose manuscripts not exceed 6,000 words (excluding the abstract and references in the case of scholarly articles), although we will consider submissions of up to 10,000 words if the piece truly merits the length. All manuscripts should follow the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing and include a works cited and endnotes, not footnotes. Callaloo's Style Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Poetry submissions are limited to no more than six poems at a time (all in a single document) with a maximum of twelve poems by an author per calendar year. Additional poems (unless requested by an editor) will automatically be declined. 
Prose submissions are limited to one manuscript per submission with a maximum of three submissions by an author each calendar year. Additional prose submissions (unless requested by an editor) will automatically be declined.
Artwork must include the following information: title of piece, year created, media, dimensions (in inches), location of the piece.
We do not accept any unsolicited material that has been previously published. 
Please do not send revisions during the time your manuscript is being reviewed; those revisions will not be considered during the review process.
Authors will be contacted after the review process, which takes from two to six months, on average. Please do not query about the status of your submission until six months have passed.

General Submissions - Artwork

Callaloo is a journal devoted to creative work by and critical studies of the work of African Americans and peoples of African descent throughout the African Diaspora. We accept original submissions of scholarly articles, book reviews, interviews, creative nonfiction essays, short fiction, poetry, and visual art. Studies of life and culture in the Black world are also published regularly in Callaloo, as is wide-ranging cultural criticism. General submissions are open from September 1, 2025 to May 1, 2026. 
All manuscripts must be double-spaced (except poetry) and submitted as a Word (.doc or .docx) or .rtf document. Identifying information, including the author's name, address, phone number, and email address, should not be included in the manuscript, submission title, or the file name. We suggest that prose manuscripts not exceed 6,000 words (excluding the abstract and references in the case of scholarly articles), although we will consider submissions of up to 10,000 words if the piece truly merits the length. All manuscripts should follow the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing and include a works cited and endnotes, not footnotes. Callaloo's Style Guidelines can be downloaded here.
Poetry submissions are limited to no more than six poems at a time (all in a single document) with a maximum of twelve poems by an author per calendar year. Additional poems (unless requested by an editor) will automatically be declined. 
Prose submissions are limited to one manuscript per submission with a maximum of three submissions by an author each calendar year. Additional prose submissions (unless requested by an editor) will automatically be declined.
Artwork must include the following information: title of piece, year created, media, dimensions (in inches), location of the piece.
We do not accept any unsolicited material that has been previously published. 
Please do not send revisions during the time your manuscript is being reviewed; those revisions will not be considered during the review process.
Authors will be contacted after the review process, which takes from two to six months, on average. Please do not query about the status of your submission until six months have passed.

General Submissions - Fiction

General Submissions - Creative Nonfiction & Book Reviews

General Submissions - Scholarly Articles

Callaloo is a journal devoted to creative work by and critical studies of the work of African Americans and peoples of African descent throughout the African Diaspora. We accept original submissions of scholarly articles, book reviews, interviews, creative nonfiction essays, short fiction, poetry, and visual art. Studies of life and culture in the Black world are also published regularly in Callaloo, as is wide-ranging cultural criticism. General submissions are open from September 1, 2025 to May 1, 2026. 
All manuscripts must be submitted as a Word (.doc or .docx) or .rtf document. Identifying information, including the author's name, address, phone number, and email address, should not be included in the manuscript, submission title, or the file name. 
Poetry submissions are limited to no more than six poems at a time (all in a single document) with a maximum of twelve poems by an author per calendar year. Additional poems (unless requested by an editor) will automatically be declined. 
We do not accept any unsolicited material that has been previously published. 
Please do not send revisions during the time your manuscript is being reviewed; those revisions will not be considered during the review process.
Authors will be contacted after the review process, which takes from two to six months, on average. Please do not query about the status of your submission until six months have passed.

General Submissions - Poetry

 Callaloo calls for submissions to contribute to a forthcoming special section called Black Panama: A People in Transit. The special section will showcase poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and scholarly work that:

Centers Black Panamanian American voices and experiences
Explores the complexities of diaspora, migration, and transnational identity
Examines the ongoing impacts of U.S. imperialism and extractive capitalism
Contributes to conversations about global Blackness and Latinidad
Highlights the literary innovations emerging from communities in transit
We invite self-identifying Black Panamanian writers based in the United States, Panama, or elsewhere to submit their short fiction, essays, and poems, and writers of any background to review a literary novel, short story, essay or poetry collection written by a Black Panamanian writer.

Callaloo

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General Submissions - Artwork

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