Agbowó has extended an invitation open to all Africans (wherever they may live) to its unthemed issue. The editors are looking for new voices, and are enthusiastic about established writers. They want pieces of writing that rock the continent. They want to understand your politics and share your personal and collective trauma. They want a snapshot of your geography. Agbowó is very interested in writings that are cursory, tasty, musical, careful, and written with love. Narratives, really-good-but-not-overly-done metaphors, direct verses, brilliant rhymes, truth, and well-edited writing are all highly anticipated by the magazine.
Although they can only accept about 1% of the works submitted , they are always looking to spotlight the best of Africa’s new writing. Their contributors have been shortlisted or have won the Brunel Prize, the Commonwealth Prize, the Caine Prize, and more.
Agbowó, the literary journal, was an off-shoot of the UITES WRITE collective and started in July 2017. UITES WRITE, founded by Habeeb Kolade and Dolapo Amusat in 2015, was a platform to showcase literary work by University of Ibadan students and alumni. The collective, published electronic anthologies – the UITES WRITE Anthology and OCTOBER STORIES featuring prose and fiction and received numerous plaudits and a Student Initiative of the Year commendation by the Student’s Union. The goal, with UITES WRITE, was to create a community of past and present University of Ibadan students using art as a tool.
To submit your work, please visit agbowo.org/submissions to read the submission guidelines and compensation. Submissions are now received via the submission form for each genre. Please remember to provide all the details requested. This call is open to all Africans wherever they may live.
Submission Window: July 1st – August 30th
Decisions: October 15th
Publication: December 1, 2024
Read more on www.agbowo.org
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a writer whose fiction and poetry offers fresh, imaginative perspectives on the human condition. Her work has been published in prominent literary spaces, including Isele Magazine, Akowdee Magazine, the AVBOB Poetry Anthology, Journal of African Youth in Literature (JAY Lit), and more. She was also nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology. Bongiwe is one of six writers selected for the inaugural Caine Prize Online Editing program and serves as a content writer, peer reviewer, and tier three awards judge for JAYLit. Bridging inner reflection with speculative worlds, she continues to carve out a distinctive voice within contemporary African literature for a growing global audience.
