Following the successful publication and reception of Lolwe’s 4th issue, the literary magazine has started accepting works for its 5th issue.

Lolwe seeks works that are bold, different, and blur or push boundaries: play with form and language, ignore genre classifications.

The 5th issue, to be guest-edited by Mali Kambandu, Willie Lee Kinard III and Yovanka Perdigão, encourages creatives to “send in [their] fears and joys, [their] doubts and faiths, [their] curiosities and silences.”

Troy Onyango founded Lolwe in 2020 to publish more works by Black writers as a way of ensuring greater visibility for stories by Black people and establishing a platform for black imagination.

Lolwe publishes fiction, literary criticism, personal essays, photography, and poetry.

They also offer online creative writing workshop-style classes and masterclasses by some of the best African writers.

Deadline & Submission Guidelines for Lolwe’s 5th Issue

Deadline:1 February to 28 February 2022.

What to submit: Fiction, essays, poetry, and photography.

Who can submit: Black (African, Caribbean, Diaspora) artists.

Limit: 1,000-10,000 words for fiction and essays. Min. 3 – Max. 5 poems contained in a single document. Min. 5 – Max. 10 images/artworks in one document alongside 200-500 words about the work.

Format: Word document, Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced.

Response time: 3-4 months after submission deadline. Please don’t inquire about submission status until the time has lapsed. Queries to info@lolwe.org.

Multiple submissions: No. Please submit to only one category. Submissions to the wrong category will be automatically rejected.

Simultaneous submissions: Yes. Just remember to withdraw if accepted elsewhere. For poetry, leave a note on submittable indicating which poem(s) is/are no longer available. Please note that failure to withdraw or notify us of work accepted/published elsewhere will lead to an automatic disqualification of the entire work submitted.

Republishing?: No. Only original, unpublished submissions will be read. Previously published work is not accepted at all.

Submission fees: None. Feel free to donate a “tip” to us though.

Payment: Lolwe will offer a modest remuneration for work that is accepted for publication.

*Send a brief bio alongside the submission.