Writers and Publishers interested in having us engage with their work should email bbrpressoffice@gmail.com with specific support requests on how you would like us to share and promote your work.
If you have any questions, thoughts or vibes, suggestions, collaboration ideas, please reach out to us!
Word Count: Up to 3,500 words
Who: Nigerian writers, at home or in diaspora
What we want
Send us fiction that is humane.
We are not looking for “bold and experimental” as a brand. We are looking for bold because the story required it. We are looking for fiction that transforms the mundane (the compound, the bus park, the kitchen, the WhatsApp call) into a place where the heart of the human matter is laid bare.
Take risks. Not just craft risks. Risk the premise. Risk the silence. Write into the rooms nobody opens. Write the conversations families refuse to have. Write the grief that makes people horny. Write the faith that dies without an announcement. Write the father in the morgue and the plant that won’t grow.
We want fiction that explores the human condition without apology and without performance. Fiction that is original because it could only come from you, from this place, from this time. Fiction that is authentic and not curated. Fiction that is not “Nigerian” for export.
If your story is quiet, send it. If it’s loud, send it. If it’s in second person, first, third, or no person at all, send it. If it breaks form because the content demanded it, we want to see the wreckage.
What we don’t want:
Trauma as spectacle. Poverty as aesthetic. Africa as explainer. Stories that end with epiphany because the workshop said so.
Note
- Deadline: June, 7th, 2026
- Word limit: 3,500 max. No minimum.
- Format: .doc or .docx, Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced
- Submit to: editor@theblackboyreview.com with subject line: FICTION SUBMISSION: [Your Last Name], [Story Title]
- Simultaneous submissions: Fine. Tell us if accepted elsewhere.
- Payment: We pay a modest token.
- Response time: 8–12 weeks
We are excited to open a new space for younger readers.
We’re currently accepting short children’s stories by African writers (all ages) for a special section dedicated to imaginative, thoughtful, and engaging storytelling for kids.
We’re looking for stories that:
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Are written for children (ages 6–12)
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Feel playful, imaginative, and emotionally true
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Reflect African worlds, cultures, and everyday experiences
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Can be enjoyed both by children and the adults reading with them
Stories can be contemporary, folktale-inspired, funny, tender, strange, or quietly magical. We’re open to a wide range of voices and styles.
Guidelines
Length: 500–800 words
Language: English (multilingual elements are welcome)
Send your story to: editor@theblackboyreview.com
Subject line: Children’s Submission – (Your Name)
Please prepare your story and attach in a word document, Times New Roman, Font 12.
All selected stories will be published on Black Boy Review and paired with original illustrations.
We will review submissions on a rolling basis and aim to keep this space accessible. There is no submission fee.
We can’t wait to read you!