Torch Literary Arts welcomes submissions of original creative work by Black women writers. We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what contemporary writing by Black women should be. Your stories and poems are valuable and necessary. Write freely and submit work you are excited to share with the world.

Reading Period

• General submissions are accepted for Friday Features only.
• We accept submissions on a rolling basis.
• There is no submission fee. 

Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions

• Simultaneous submissions to other journals are welcome as long as they are identified as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.
• Please submit one (1) entry to one (1) genre at a time. Wait until you receive a response on your submission before submitting again.
  • If accepted, please wait one (1) year after publication to submit to Torch again.

Manuscript Guidelines

• Include a one (1) page cover letter noting the title(s) of the work(s) submitted and a brief bio. The cover letter page does not contribute to the overall page count.
  • Note: Submissions without a cover letter may not be read.
• Upload your text submission as a Word (DOC, DOCX) or portable document format (PDF).
• Typed, double-spaced (poetry may be single-spaced) pages.
• Numbered pages.
• Margins should be set at no less than 1” and no greater than 1.5”.
• Poetry: submit up to five (5) poems totaling no more than eight (8) pages.
• Fiction, Creative Nonfiction: 12-point font. No more than fifteen (15) pages or 3500 words (whichever is achieved first). Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
  • We want CNF that is thought-provoking, engaging, and personal. Please see the following examples for the type of creative nonfiction we publish:

1. Brittany Rogers, “Before Uses of the Erotic”
2. Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, “Two Traumatic Births Changed My Experience of Motherhood”

• Drama/Screenwriting: submit one act or a collection of short scenes no longer than fifteen (15) pages. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained. Indicate if a performance video or dramatic audio reading will be available with the text submission if selected.

Restrictions

• We do not reprint previously published work for Friday Features.
• Writers must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to be published in Torch Magazine. 
• AI must not be used in the creation of submitted work.

Submitting Online

• We accept submissions via our online submission management system only. Submissions via postal mail or email will be discarded without response.
• To submit online, please use the Torch submission management system, found here.

Notifications and Queries

• Expect up to three months for a decision. Using our online submission system, you will be able to track the status of your submission. Contact us after three months with questions via our contact form. 

Publication & Compensation

• Publication is online at TorchLiteraryArts.org, unless expressly stated for print publication.
• All work will be archived on our website. 
• Authors with work selected for a Friday Feature will receive $150 (US) payment.
• All rights revert back to the author after publication. 

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Awards

• All work accepted for publication will be considered for nomination for internal and external awards such as The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, the O Henry Prize, and the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing 
• To qualify for The AKO Caine Prize submission, fiction submissions must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Entries must be more than 3,000 words
2. The author must identify as an African writer

Frequently Asked Questions 

• What genres does Torch publish?

We publish Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Script.

• Can I send sci-fi, fantasy, literary, or experimental work?

We accept submissions across genres and subjects. Send us your best!

• Can I send something that was previously published elsewhere?

No, we do not accept previously published work.

• Can I send a simultaneous submission?

Yes. Please notify us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

• Do you pay for accepted work?

Authors with work selected for a Friday Feature will receive $150 (US) payment.

• Will I retain publishing rights if my work is accepted?

Yes, all rights revert back to the author after publication. 

• I want to be a Monthly Feature. How do I submit?

We do not accept unsolicited submissions for Monthly Features.

• Is a cover letter required?

Yes, please include a cover letter that is no more than one page long and includes the title(s) of the work submitted and a brief bio. The cover letter does not count toward the total page count of your submission.