We’re grateful you’re considering submitting your work to our publication. We’re looking for pieces that challenge well-established ideas. We love writing that makes us pause after each paragraph, and we’re big fans of literature that helps us see old patterns through a new lens. We’re especially interested in ideas that are fresh and surprising. We welcome pitches from all voices, including those who may not consider themselves writers but have something meaningful to say. Please read our editorial tone guide here.
Creative Nonfiction & Essays
- Cultural, social, and political essays. Well-structured cultural and social commentary, and analysis (afrobeats, literature, movies, etc.). Reported features are also welcome. There’s no word count!
- We’re generally interested in essays that offer new and interesting ideas
- We like works that offer an historical angle to a current problem or phenomenon
- We’re a fan of essays that explore topics that aren’t popular
- We welcome personal essays that do not veer into obsessive self-awareness
- We value essays that explore African metaphors, music, memory, movement, imagination, and meaning-making.
- Pitch us at:
pitches@yarnzmag.com
Fiction
- Short stories, literary or experimental fiction with strong voice and rooted settings.
- We're interested in fiction that explore how people live and move in West African Countries; what does Black joy means and new definitions of this; positive representations of West African heritage; West Africans in the diaspora; meta-fictional address of societal issues and ailings in the region; engagement with consumerism and western institutions; works that send a message and shows depth of research; historical timelines represented in fiction; fluid and confident mixed use of English and pidgin and other WA languages
Send submissions to:
fiction@yarnzmag.com
Poetry
- One to three poems per submission
- We’re interested in explorations of cultural identity; works steeped in the essence of West African languages; what it means to exist and live in these areas; poems on seeing from a West African lens; poems that pay homage to tradition, forgotten cultural practices and West African gods; renaming the divine in this part of the world; works that explore what it means to write in other West African languages; West African poetry translations.
- Send submissions to:
poetry@yarnzmag.com
Visual Essays, Art & Photo Stories
- High-resolution images (4-10), accompanied by a short artist statement or narrative (150–500 words)
- We love pieces that are cohesive: your collection should tell a story
- Your work doesn’t have to be political, but it should fit within a broader societal context
- Satirical works are welcome. Art for art’s sake isn’t welcome
Send submissions to:
art@yarnzmag.com
Submission Format
- Attach work as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF
- Use standard fonts and double spacing (except for poetry)
- Include a short bio (max 80 words) and your social media handle. We ask that you follow us on social media as well. This makes it easy to find you when posting about your work.
- Your email subject line should follow this format: ‘lastname_firstname_category’
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere. We accept original, unpublished work only. Upon publication in Yarnz, rights of all works revert to its contributor. Any subsequent publications must acknowledge us, i.e. “First published in Yarnz Magazine.” We will notify you after receiving each submission. We try to reach out with decisions 3 – 4 weeks after the submission deadline, but we’re a small, so delays might occur. If you have questions, please reach out to us via email:
info@yarnzmag.com
Pay
Yarnz is a new and entirely bootstrapped magazine. While we’re working hard to properly pay contributors, we can only offer a $10 honorarium for accepted submissions at this time.
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