Spoken Black Girl Magazine is open for submissions to Issue 5 “Motherhood”

The Black Maternal Health Crisis is threatening the lives of Black moms and babies every day all over this country. In response to this injustice, Spoken Black Girl Magazine is dedicating our next issue to Black moms and celebrating Black Motherhood. This issue calls for stories that represent love and joy of the mother connection, mothers that are ancestors, mothers that come disguised as a teacher or a friend, as well as the challenging moments of motherhood. We also welcome poetry, essays, and short stories, book reviews, recipes and other forms are also welcome as well as photography and visual art depicting motherhood. This will be a print only publication.

For the first time, this issue will be open to any Black-identifying writer or creative regardless of gender as long as the submission answers the prompt and serves to uplift Black women and girls.

All rights revert to the author after publication.

All accepted submissions will receive $50 in compensation.

Check out Issue 4: Freedom to get an idea of the kind of work we publish.

Extended Deadline: October 7th, 2023

All submissions are accepted through Submittable. Click the link below to submit!

submit

FAQ

  1. Do I have to be a mother to submit? No.

  2. How many pieces can I submit? You may make one submission per genre.

  3. When will I hear back about my submission? Acceptance emails will go out in early December. Subscribe to our mailing list for the latest on deadlines and possible deadline extentions.

  4. Who owns the rights to my work if selected? If your work is accepted, Spoken Black Girl will contact you with a contract granting first publishing rights that revert to the writer after publication.

  5. What format should I use? We recommend size 12 font or larger for readability. Fonts like Times New Roman, Courier, Garamond or similar fonts recommended. Please number the pages of your work.

  6. What’s the preferred word count for submissions? Short stories and essays should be between 800 - 3000 words max. You many submit 3-5 poems for consideration.

  7. Can I submit a previously published piece? We ask that you submit original, unpublished work with the exception of work published only on your personal blog or website.

  8. When will I hear back about my submission? You will hear from us by the first week of December.


Questions? Email us!

Blog Submissions

Here's what we're looking for:

Mental Health

SBG seeks stories that illuminate pathways toward better mental health. Mental health personal essays, features on individuals and organizations involving women of color in the mental health field, mental health perspectives on pop culture and current events as well as tips for inspired living are welcome.

Reflections

The Reflections Section seeks personal, transparent essays about identity,  life experiences, growth, healing, self-love, reclaiming life, and finding inspiration.

Poetry

SBG Poetry seeks works that express the breadth of being a woman of color in this world. Topics can include mental health, self-care, body awareness, hair, beauty, race, gender, sexuality, family, spirituality, health & healing, inspiring stories and tributes, unusual experiences, etc. Poems can be narrative, experimental, prose poetry, video poems, and visual poetry as well. Surprise us with your insight, your creative vision, your skill with language. Also, we are willing to work with emerging writers to polish their pieces and get it ready for publishing. 

 
 

How to Submit

All submissions are accepted through Submittable. Click the link below to submit!

submit