Brittle Paper has opened submissions for its 2025 Festive Anthology (Vol. IV), inviting writers and poets from across the world to share stories that capture the feeling of celebrating festive moments away from home.
The call welcomes original works of poetry, fiction, and essays that explore the many emotions tied to spending holidays in unfamiliar places.
Now in its fourth volume, this year’s theme centers on celebrating the stories of those “who spend the holidays away from ‘home.’ Whether you’re in a new home, studying abroad, going on vacation, or a diasporic building a new life, any festive season brings up a range of emotions — sometimes it’s longing and grief, sometimes it’s joy and awe, and sometimes it’s a combination of it all. With this festive anthology, we wish to capture as many of those experiences as possible through poetry, short stories, and essays.”
Entries are not limited to Christmas; writers may explore any form of festivity, including weddings, birthdays, traditional ceremonies, or personal milestones. The aim is to showcase how people redefine the meaning of “home” through these celebrations, wherever they are in the world.
Submission Guidelines
- Email your submission to submissions@brittlepaper.com.
- Email subject heading: “Festive Anthology Submission”
- Include an author picture and biography.
- Each submission needs to consist of only one piece of original and unpublished work, but simultaneous submissions are allowed.
- Submissions need to be in Word format.
- Poetry submission word limit: 500 words.
- Non/Fiction and Essay submission word limit: 3500 words
Submit your entry before November 14, 2025.
Best of luck to all applicants!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
