Àrokò Cooperative has opened submissions for the first edition of its anthology series, Àrokò Anthology No. 1: Folklore from Africa & the Diaspora.
The anthology invites fiction that reimagines or reinvents folklore from Africa and the African diaspora. Writers are encouraged to explore myths, fables, legends, and folkloric figures—whether reimagined, adapted, or newly created. The editors seek genre-bending narratives rooted in African and diasporic cosmologies, stories where folklore lives, transforms, and continues to shape the present and the future.
Eligibility
This anthology is a space for self-identified Black writers from the African continent and the African diaspora. Àrokò Cooperative expresses its commitment to addressing systemic discrimination faced by many of these storytellers, including people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ writers, women, and neurodivergent creators.
Guidelines
- Word range: 2,000 – 7,000 words
- Submit to: contact@aroko.coop
- Stories should be in Modern Manuscript Format (.RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX)
- Include your name, email, and pronouns (optional) in the upper-left corner of your manuscript
- Multiple submissions are welcome, but each must be sent in a separate email
- The subject line must be the story title
- The file name must match the story title
- In the body of your email, include a short third-person bio and attach your story
- AI-generated submissions will not be considered
Contributor Compensation
As a community-focused cooperative, Àrokò will not offer monetary payment for contributions. Accepted writers will receive one complimentary print copy and one digital copy of the anthology upon publication, with an option to purchase additional copies at a discount.
All proceeds from Àrokò Anthology No. 1 will be donated to support survivors of the Darfuri genocide.
By submitting, contributors grant Àrokò Cooperative permission to publish their stories in Àrokò Anthology No. 1 across print, digital, and audio formats. Àrokò requests six months of exclusivity following publication, after which authors retain full copyright and may republish their work elsewhere.
About Àrokò Cooperative
Àrokò Cooperative is a multidisciplinary community of designers, artists, technologists, and strategists committed to divesting from systems of harm and building toward collective liberation through design.
The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2025.
Best of luck to all applicants!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
