SUBMIT

magazine open for submission

To be human is to wrestle with the self, to stand at the edge of who you are and who you might become, peering into the vastness of your own truth. For the human, identity is not a fixed point, but a river—sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent, but always carving its own path through the stone of the world’s expectations.

For our next issue, Akpata Magazine invites you to explore this river in Coming Out: An Anthology of Identity.

We seek stories, essays, poems, and art that unravel the act of coming out—not only as a declaration of love or desire, but as any courageous unveiling of self.

What does it mean to step into your truth, whether it is cultural, spiritual, gendered, or otherwise? What are the silences you have broken, the masks you have shed, the homes you have left or found in the process?

We want work that probes the weight of identity—its fluidity, its defiance against binaries and normativities—but also captivates with the portrayal of lived experience.

Write with honesty. Write with fire. Let your words carry the texture of your particular life, the specificity of your joys and wounds. We are not looking for abstractions or clichés, but for pieces that are filled with insight and audaciously shed light on the complexity of being.

Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art are welcome.

Guidelines

  • Fiction: Maximum 7,000 words.
  • Nonfiction: Maximum 5,000 words. Essays should weave personal experience with deeper reflections on identity, culture, or existence.
  • Poetry: Submit up to 4 poems, no line limit.
  • Visual Art: Up to 3 high-resolution images (JPEG or PNG). Art should speak to the theme with emotional or philosophical resonance.

Formatting

  • Use a standard font (Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond, or similar), 12-point size.
  • Prose should be double-spaced; poetry may be single-spaced.
  • Submit as a .docx file. For art, ensure images are at least 300 DPI.

Submission Process

  • Email your work to akpatamag@gmail.com with the subject line: “Submission: [Your Name] – [Genre]”.
  • Include a brief bio (100 words or less) in the body of the email or as a separate document, sharing the essence of who you are.
  • A cover letter is not required.

Publication Schedule

Submission Window: June 1 – July 30
Review & Feedback: August 1 – 30
Editing Period: September 1 – 30
Publication Date: October 1

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