Brittle Paper is excited to announce the 2025 submission call for our annual festive anthology!

This year, we are 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.

Brittle Paper is a space for Africa’s stories, whether it be on the continent or in the diasporic communities all over the world. This year, we want to celebrate and highlight our diasporic community, as well as those who have experienced the holidays away from home. Whether it’s a religious holiday, a traditional and cultural moment, a wedding, a birthday, or an important milestone, these are all moments that feel different when away from our home, country, family, and continent. And these are the experiences we would love to share with our readers!

Submissions are now open, so be sure to submit by 14 November 2025.

Submission Guidelines: Submissions that do not adhere to the guidelines may not be reviewed

  • Email your submission to [email protected].
  • 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  • Each submission needs to consist of only one piece of original and unpublished work, but simultaneous submissions are allowed.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
  • Selection process will take place after the deadline.

 

*Please note that entries are not limited to Christmas and can explore any form of festive celebration.

 

If you want to get into the festive mood early, you can download and enjoy Volume I, Volume II, and Volume III!