A home for all stories.

I founded Inkbender press to publish the kind of work i wanted to read—the unfiltered, audacious, grounded in African heritage and creativity. Whether it’s fiction that stretches beyond the fabric of reality, essays that reclaim the personal, or poetry that bends language, we exist to give voice to the overlooked and underrepresented.

Submissions

  • Fiction

    Feature novels:

    We consider finished manuscripts between 20,000 and 80,000 words. We only select four novels per for full-length publication under Inkbender Press.

    Submit a synopsis (500 words max)

    Include the first 3 chapters or up to 5,000 words.

    Final manuscripts must be complete at time of submission.

    Short Story Collection Submissions:

    We publish one collection each quarter by a single author or as an anthology.

    Word count: 2,000- 10,000 words (per story)

    Submit a proposal or sample of 3 stories.

    Poetry

    Up to 5 poems per submission

    Previously unpublished only

    Lyric, narrative, and Afrocentric poetry all welcome.

    Essays & Nonfiction

    Up to 2,500 words

    Memoir, personal essays, cultural criticism, and experimental nonfiction are welcome.

    Magazine submission

    Inkbender Magazine runs every month and is currently open for submission. Please submit individual works between 2,000 and 6,000 words for fiction/non-fiction. The poetry guidelines above applies. We look for works that explores African or Black experiences in original, emotionally resonant ways.

    Visual Arts & Photography

    Submit up to 10 images (JPEG or PNG)

    Include titles, medium, and a brief artist statement(150 words max)

  • A woman dressed in a blue dress and matching headwrap sitting on a blue plastic chair, with her head resting on her hand, in front of a yellow background. A person or silhouette in black and red is holding an elongated object that extends from her head, with a background of birds flying.

    How to Submit

    Submit all works to contactinkbender@gmail.com

    In the subject line, put “Submission” followed by genre of work and last name. In your email body, include how many pieces, and a brief bio of the creator.

    Preferred submission formats: doc, docx, pdf.

“It is the storyteller who makes us what we are.”

— CHINUA ACHEBE