The 20.35 Africa Anthology Series, now in its seventh year, is a distinguished platform for living African poets.
Inspired by the legacies of Black Orpheus and Transition, it serves as a collaborative space to amplify emerging voices across the African continent and its diaspora.
Submission Guidelines For 20.35 Africa Anthology Series
- Submissions are open to African poets aged between 20 and 35, or those who would meet the age criteria by the time of publication.
- Contributors from the sixth volume are ineligible for this volume but may submit for future editions.
- Each contributor may submit up to three poems, meticulously edited for quality.
- Submissions are exclusive to African poets, defined as individuals born in Africa, with at least one African parent, or residents of Africa for at least 10 years.
- Poets with previous publication credits or those unpublished are encouraged to submit.
- Only poems in English are accepted; translations from African languages are permissible with original versions included.
- Poems should ideally not exceed 40 lines and must include titles.
- Submission details, including personal information, should not be included in the manuscript but provided separately.
Additional Information
- All entries must be submitted in a SINGLE WORD DOCUMENT, typed in TIMES NEW ROMAN, font 12, single-spaced, and sent via email only to the 20.35 Africa team at [email protected].
- The email subject should read “20.35 AFRICA SUBMISSION.”
- Identifying information, including names of poets, addresses, phone numbers, and publication histories, should NOT be included in the manuscript or the body of the email.
- Submit through your personal email address and include the same email address on the last page of your manuscript.
- Submissions must be written in black ink. No colours.
- Each poem must have a title.
- Poems must be the original work of the contributor.
- They hope to respond to every submission by June 2024. However, there may be a delay in response time pending the editors’ final decision.
- They will not entertain any inquiries concerning submission status until after June 2024.
- Accepted contributors must be available throughout the editing process and for other correspondence that may follow.
- All inquiries must be sent to [email protected]. Inquiries sent to the submissions’ email address will not be read.
- Except in proven cases of plagiarism or when a piece we have published violates any form of human rights, they do not take down works once they have been published in their anthology or on their website.
What They Want
- Original poetry submissions from African poets aged 20-35.
- Well-crafted poems reflective of diverse themes and experiences.
- Quality work, which will be judged solely on merit.
- Simultaneous submissions are accepted but they ask for immediate notification of acceptance elsewhere.
What They Don’t Want
- Submissions exceeding three poems per contributor.
- Poems from people who do not meet the age or regional criteria.
- Works lacking originality or exceeding the specified length.
- Inquiries regarding submission status until after June 2024.
Editors For The 7th 20.35 Africa Anthology Series
Thea Matthews and Kwame Opoku-Duku will guest edit the anthology’s seventh volume and work alongside the 20.35 Africa editors: Ebenezer Agu, I.S. Jones, and Precious Okpechi.
Thea Matthews is a poet, educator, and editor of African and Indigenous Mexican descent from San Francisco, California. She holds an MFA in poetry from New York University and a BA in sociology from UC Berkeley. Her poetry has appeared in or is forthcoming in the Colorado Review, Obsidian Journal: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, The Massachusetts Review, Epiphany Magazine, Alta Journal, The New Republic, and others.
Kwame Opoku-Duku, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a Ghanian-American poet and fiction writer. The author of The Unbnd Verses (Glass Poetry Press). His work appears in The Atlantic, The Nation, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, BOMB, The Yale Review, and other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York City, where he is an educator.
Eligibility Criteria
- There is no entry fee.
- Open to African poets aged 20-35, with varied publication backgrounds and residency statuses.
- Poems must be original and adhere to the language and formatting guidelines outlined.
Author Rights
By submitting your work to them, you agree to give them first serial rights of said work, which shall revert to you upon publication. If your work is republished elsewhere, kindly acknowledge that it first appeared on 20.35 Africa.
Deadline
The deadline for submissions is midnight (UTC+01:00) on 22nd March 2024.
Payment
No information regarding payment was provided in the announcement. For payment-related inquiries, contact [email protected].