Submit to Umukarago

Submit to Umukarago, an online literary magazine published by Writers Space Africa-Rwanda (WSA-R).

Umukarago is a Kinyarwanda word that means a line (particularly in poetry). We believe that each line or sentence of your literary work has the power to evoke emotions and touch the hearts of our readers.

Our mission is to amplify the beauty and significance of your work, and to showcase the rich diversity and creativity of Rwandan and Rwanda-based writers and poets.

The submission window for Issue 4 has closed as of August 30, 2024. Our editors are reviewing the entries.

Who can submit?

We accept submissions from writers and poets living in Rwanda or those of Rwandan descent living in the diaspora as well as foreign nationals residing in Rwanda.

What kind of works are we looking for?

Umukarago seeks works that are smart, new, creative, different, specific, experimental, somewhat rude at times, or ones that have interesting and well-informed opinions. To get a sense of our taste, we encourage you to read the works published in our past editions.

The editorial team considers the following:

1. Poetry (1 – 3 poems per submission window — each not exceeding 30 lines) written for the page, not performance;
2. Short Story (1000 – 3000 words) of any genre;
3. Creative non-fiction (700 – 3000 words) such as essays, memoirs, or narrative nonfiction;
4. Children’s stories (400 – 1500 words) the ones that entertain and educate children;

Submission rules and guidelines

1. Submissions must be written in English. However, writers and poets may use words or phrases from Kinyarwanda provided their meaning can be understood within the text;
2. We do not accept submissions that have been published elsewhere in any medium (including personal blogs);
3. Simultaneous submissions are fine. However, mind notifying us when your work is accepted elsewhere;
4. Writers and poets can submit one entry per genre per call for submissions;
5. Submissions must be typed: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing and be sent in a word document;
6. The document should only contain the title and the body text of the submission;
7. No identifying details (name, contact number, or email address) may be used in the filename or placed anywhere in the submission document;
8. Submissions created or assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools will be automatically rejected.
9. For poetry, submit up to three poems in a single document.
10. You retain the copyright to your work. However, we do request that you credit Umukarago as the original publisher when publishing your work elsewhere;
11. Our response period typically takes up to 6 weeks after the submissions window has closed. If you don’t hear from us, please write to rwanda@writersspace.net;
12. Further inquiries could be sent to rwandanwriters@gmail.com.
13. Submissions that don’t meet basic guidelines will be automatically rejected;
14. Entries will be evaluated and selected based on their originality, mastery of language, creativity, adherence to submission rules and guidelines, and their ability to effectively address the theme;

Below is an official call for submissions poster:

Feel free to save and share it with your network.