About Us

Brown Sugar is an online womanist literary magazine for women, womxn, and womyn of color, of any nationality, sexuality, religion, or cultural diasporas that are misrepresented and underrepresented. This is a platform and space for womanists to take command of their creative expression. We aim to capture and promote the diverse cultures and living voices of women with all kinds of backgrounds and identities through poetry, prose, and art.

Our Story

Brown Sugar began with an off-hand comment—Ashley belted, “Let’s start a literary magazine!” after expressing her disappointment with the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. The comment led to an uber ride between friends as we discussed what we’d want from the magazine and what our aesthetic would be. We talked for hours about our name, our colors, our dream for the magazine. After weeks of planning and stressing about all the logistics of starting a literary magazine, we finally launched in June of 2020.

Before Brown Sugar, we were just friends with a shared love for writing and the literary world. A year later, we’re here, hoping to make a small change in the publishing world by highlighting the voices of women of color, all women of color. We understand the silencing, the marginalization, the missed opportunities. We understand the experience.

So, thank you for coming on this journey with us.