Kweli Journal About Kweli’s mission is to nurture emerging writers of color and create opportunities for their voices to be recognized and valued. By creating a community of Black, Indigenous and POC artists and programming based on artistic excellence and rigor, Kweli empowers writers to share stories that engage and impact our communities. Our vision is for a world where the narratives being told reflect the truth of our histories and the possibilities for our future.As an online magazine, we celebrate cultural kinships and the role of the literary imagination in writing. Our contributors come from many countries and include acclaimed writers like Jeffery Renard Allen, A. Igoni Barrett, Jennine Capó Crucet, Angie Cruz, Nana-Ama Danquah, Camille Dungy, Martin Espada, Santee Frazier, Ru Freeman, Cristina Garcia, Nathalie Handal, Charles Johnson, Lorna Goodison, Victor LaValle, Ed Pavlic, Quincy Troupe, Chika Unigwe, Neela Vaswani, Xu Xi, Tiphanie Yanique and others. In 2014, Kweli invited three esteemed guest editors to solicit and screen work for publication: Jeffery Renard Allen, Jennine Capó Crucet and Danielle Evans.Kweli Journal is a small community. We launched as a biannual journal in December 2009. Since our humble beginnings, Kweli has grown into a multifaceted community organization that offers numerous writing, mentorship, and educational opportunities, including The Color of Children’s Literature Conference and International Literary Festival, our Fellowship Program and Sing the Truth! Mentorship Program, a monthly Reading & Conversation Series, multi-session writing workshops and masterclasses, and yearly retreats.It has been particularly gratifying to see so many of the students who have passed through Kweli's professional development programming go on to volunteer to work on the journal as readers, editors and mentors. This is how we can continue to grow and build community. Country of Publication & Year Established United States Established in 2009 Publication Medium & Frequency Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationPublished 4 x per year AI Policy Unknown AI policy Statistics Synopsis Slower Kweli Journal's overall average response time is slower than most magazines. Collapse section Fiction Open Dates:Open to fiction submissions through 30 May 2027* (approx. 257 days from now).Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities, Blacks/People with African origins, Hispanics/Latinos, Indigenous Peoples, People with East Asian origins, People with Middle Eastern or North African origins, People with South Asian origins, People with Southeast Asian origins, Specific group.Genres: GeneralLengths: Short Story: 1,000 - 6,000 words. Novel Excerpt: Up to 6,000 words.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race.Payment:Unknown payment Unknown payment.Submissions:Method: Submittable submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Text. Collapse section Nonfiction Open Dates:Open to nonfiction submissions through 30 May 2027* (approx. 257 days from now).Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities, Blacks/People with African origins, Hispanics/Latinos, Indigenous Peoples, People with East Asian origins, People with Middle Eastern or North African origins, People with South Asian origins, People with Southeast Asian origins, Specific group.Lengths: Essay: Up to 6,000 words. Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 6,000 words. Book Excerpt: Up to 6,000 words.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Personal.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Memoir. Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race.Payment:Unknown payment Unknown payment.Submissions:Method: Submittable submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Text. Collapse section Poetry Open Dates:Open to poetry submissions through 30 May 2027* (approx. 257 days from now).Audience:Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities, Blacks/People with African origins, Hispanics/Latinos, Indigenous Peoples, People with East Asian origins, People with Middle Eastern or North African origins, People with South Asian origins, People with Southeast Asian origins, Specific group.Genres: GeneralLengths: Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.Poetry Forms:Open to all/most Forms.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.Topics: Open to all/most Topics including... Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race.Payment:Unknown payment Unknown payment.Submissions:Method: Submittable submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.Media: Text. Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment. Go to publication's website Report: Submission/Response Correction/Update New Cover ArtSocial:Bluesky @kwelijournal.bsky.socialFacebook FacebookInstagram @kweli.journalX (Twitter) @kwelijournal Support this Publisher: Make a Donation For the Editor(s): Request Interview Duosuma Submission Manager Link to Duotrope Kweli Journal Submission Statistics The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics. Filter: Category: All Categories Fiction Nonfiction Poetry Group by submission Include outliers Accuracy We have received 6 reports from 6 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information. Days Reported 140 min | 447.0 mean avg | 477.0 median | 653 max days (179.4 std dev) Pending 11 responses are pending (2 min | 137.5 mean avg | 122.5 median | 374 max days waiting | 314.0 std dev) from 11 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days Other Information Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:30 UTC (15 minutes ago). Work submitted here was also submitted to...This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!Members accepted here also had work accepted by...This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today! Your Submissions This section is available to subscribers only. Join today! Before SubmittingWe cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.Be professional, patient, and persistent. DatesLast Updated: 10 Sep 2026We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year. 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