Transition The Magazine of Africa and the Diaspora

About

Born in Africa and bred in the Diaspora, Transition is a unique forum for the freshest, most compelling, most curious ideas from and about the Black world. Since its founding in 1961 by the late Rajat Neogy, the first series of issues developed a reputation for tough-minded, far-reaching criticism, both cultural and political. More recent issues, including those published under the aegis of the W.E.B Du Bois Institute and now the Hutchins Center, carry on that tradition.

Important: Wait at least 4 months between submissions.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1961

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Published 3 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

52 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Transition's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Africans, Blacks/People with African origins.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,000 - 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science.
Society/Culture: General, Current events, Ethnicity/Race.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Africans, Blacks/People with African origins.

Lengths:

Interview: Up to 6,000 words.
Review: 3,000 - 5,000 words.
Article: Up to 6,000 words.
Essay: Up to 6,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary. Excluding: Academic.

Topics:

Film/Television.
Literature/Books.
Performing Arts.
Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science.
Society/Culture: General, Current events, Ethnicity/Race.
Visual Arts.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

We publish poetry from and about Africa and the diaspora.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Africans, Blacks/People with African origins.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; 5 - 7 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science.
Society/Culture: General, Current events, Ethnicity/Race.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

We continuously seek new, unpublished work from photographers and artists and look for images that inform, innovate, startle, and speak.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Africans, Blacks/People with African origins.

Lengths:

Artwork: 5 - 10 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Society/Culture: Ethnicity/Race.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment Provides free copy/copies No monetary payment. Provides free copy/copies.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Social Platforms:
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Transition 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.

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Accuracy

We have received 4 reports from 4 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

55 min | 96.0 mean avg | 81.0 median | 167 max days (44.2 std dev)

Pending

1 response is pending (5 days waiting).

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 120 days. (25.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 120 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 120 days have passed.
Most recent response reported was received on 25 Jun 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 May 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:48 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Before Submitting

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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.

Dates

Last Updated: 09 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.