Yaba Left Review is currently open to submissions and pitches.

We are interested in longform nonfiction. We understand that the words “longform” and “nonfiction”  are open to interpretation. But we want writing that is thought-out, stylish (that is, works with a sense of personality behind them), and with a force of persuasion.

Is there a poem, a short story, an essay, a book, a film, a song, a painting, or a part of each of this that fascinates you? Can you communicate your fascination in clear prose? This is the sort of writing we are looking for.

We are interested in poetry, short stories, and essays on culture in the broader sense: books, films, visual arts, music, fashion, etcetera. If you have something that doesn’t quite fit any of the aforementioned brackets, we’d love to read and consider it, so long as it has rigorous consideration and the same flair of expression we expect from those mentioned above.

General Guidelines

Before sending us your work, please visit and read Yaba Left Review.

Submissions to Yaba Left Review must be in English, and must be previously unpublished in print or online, including on personal websites, blogs, or newsletters. We are open to reading translated works in English, provided that you’ve secured all the necessary permissions. We are also happy to consider simultaneous submissions, but we kindly ask that you notify us promptly if a piece is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Please note that we only accept submissions through email at this time, and each submission should be sent to yabaleftreview@gmail.com with the following format as the subject line:

[Category]: [Title of the piece] by [Name of the author], [Date of Submission]

If you are sending a pitch, write “Pitch:” at the start of the subject line, followed by the subject and/or the proposed title. In no more than three paragraphs, introduce yourself and your idea or argument.

Please read the following for specific guidelines of each categories:

Poetry

Send us 3-5 poems for consideration. Any submission less than the minimum or more than the maximum will not be read.

Nonfiction

We want original essays and reviews on books, films, fashion, history, etc., especially longform nonfiction that uses one or more of these to address broader issues. The sweet spot for this category is between 1,500 and 3,000 words. We occasionally accept longer pieces if necessary.

Agbaman

We are interested in music: reviews of new albums, retrospective reviews of old albums, a take on contemporary or classic music; profiles or deep-dive interviews of rising underground artists and legendary musicians; essays exploring the cultural, historical, and political impact of a specific genre or movement; track-by-track analyses or rankings, definitive or otherwise, of a classic discography; personal essays that examine the intersection of music, fashion, and identity; concert, festival, or live performance reviews/reportage that capture the energy of the room. The possibilities are endless here; surprise us!

Essays in this category should be 2,000 to 5,000 words, and reviews should be 1,000 to 2,000 words.

Short Story

We publish the occasional short story, but we prefer to commission this.

Payment

We offer a modest honorarium.

Response time

We generally respond to all submissions as soon as possible. This could be days to weeks, or, at the latest, three months. If you have not heard from us within this period, you can assume we are passing on your piece.

Editorial Process

Accepted work undergoes our standard editorial process, which can range from one to multiple rounds of edits, in which we work closely with the author to hone the final piece.