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Brown Sugar is a 17+ womanist* (feminist of color) literary magazine. We are for femme-identifying persons of color. We are for misrepresented and unrepresented multicultural races, sexualities, religions, and identities.

 

We accept various forms of content that capture the BIPOC experience—the womanist and intersectional perspective. Give us all of your art, poetry, fiction, and more! See guidelines below!
 

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DEADLINE: June 29th, 2025

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Call For Poetry, Prose, and Visual Art by POC that identify as women or as non-binary.

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A spectrum ( pl. : spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum.

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The theme for this open call is intentionally broad—we are looking for work exploring the concept of “spectrum.” This may include, but is not limited to, works exploring color and light, sexuality, gender expression, identity, or works that explore life and philosophies beyond the binary. Spectrum may also encapsulate expansiveness and a means of combating otherness or the myth of individualism and separation.

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Show us your art that leans into the multitudinous nature of humanity and connection.

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​**​About the Event: We are curating works for a gallery that will take place on July 17th, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. Artists will be able to price their own work for the gallery.

Overall Guidelines

  • Please send all solicited and unsolicited submissions to editors@brownsugarlit.com. All submissions received elsewhere will be invalid. ​​

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  • You may submit either:

    • A literary piece (poetry or prose should be 2,000 words or less).

    • Visual art

    • A collaborative piece with a visual component and a literary component by two SEPARATE artists. 

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  • In your email, please include the following details:

    • SUBJECT: Spectrum Submission

    • Your Name​

    • Title of Submission(s)

    • Brief 1-2 line of how your submission connects to our theme 

    • Your pronouns

    • Vibe Check! Are you a person of color?  

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  • We encourage writers and artists to submit literary pieces and visual art, either individually or in collaborative pairs so that there is a written component and a visual component to each piece OR a visual piece on its own/a written piece on its own. Note that if you submit individually, we may pair your work with another piece that we believe it is in conversation with.

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  • All materials must be original, unpublished content relating to or inspired by our issue's theme. We do not accept work previously published in other literary magazines. Upon submitting, please notify us if your work is being considered for other publishers/literary magazines. 

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Important Notes

  • Please allow us 1-2 weeks after we close for submissions for a response from us on your submission.

  • The submitter has rights to their work throughout the entire process with Brown Sugar. However, we do request credits for original publishing. We do not accept work accepted or published elsewhere. 

  • We reserve the right to edit, and to pull from projects that we find no longer fitting during or after the editing process. 

  • We currently are unable to compensate our writers due to funding. Brown Sugar runs on volunteers and the free will of our editors. Any donations for printing purposes would be helpful and greatly appreciated. Contributors will receive a free PDF copy of the issue or zine they are featured in.

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