We’re drawn to slice-of-life, literary fiction that allows our readers to travel — across the continent and throughout the diaspora — experiencing different places, cultures, and perspectives through the ordinary dramas of daily life.

With this in mind, we’re not the right home for genre-led fiction such as crime, horror, thriller, fantasy, or sci-fi.

We shape our publication around the stories you want to tell, so there’s no need to write towards a particular theme. That said, we encourage you to spend some time reading our stories to familiarise yourself with what we’ve published so far.

We do not accept AI-generated stories. We value the spirit of human creativity and the distinctiveness of a writer’s voice. Work that does not reflect this is easy to spot and will be rejected immediately.

As part of our growing audio offering, we’re particularly interested in stories with enough depth and space to translate into immersive listening experiences. This typically means stories of 2,500 words and above, though we remain open to exceptional short stories of any length.

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Submissions are now open on a rolling basis. Writers are welcome to submit at any time, and we review continuously throughout the year.

We carefully consider all submissions and aim to respond within four weeks of receipt. We are not in the position to give individual feedback but please bear in mind that some stories may be well written, yet still unsuitable for AFREADA.

We pay £100 for each story we publish, and offer upgraded access to the Literary Africa community. This is part of our wider commitment to supporting African writers and building a sustainable ecosystem for African storytelling.

By submitting, you confirm that the work is your own and that you have the necessary rights to share it with us.

Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please withdraw your work from consideration if accepted elsewhere.

All published work is subject to an editorial process, and we work closely with writers to shape the final piece.

Selected stories may be adapted for audio, but we will always seek permission before any adaptation.