In light of our upcoming hiatus, we are closed for submissions indefinitely. Issue 4 will be available in August.
We want origin stories behind your battle scars, poems that bleed and scream, art that shows the beauty beyond the tragedies of today. We want a glimpse of other worlds, other selves, other truths. Let the world bask in the power enclosed between your words, hidden in the strokes, ringing just on the tip of your fingers.
Unless solicited, we exclusively feature women and LGBTQIA+ writers and artists from local or diasporic South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia (or Middle East), and Central Asia. If you do not identify as such, please refrain from submitting as we will only disqualify your submission. Please read and abide to our submission guidelines to be considered for publication.
We want origin stories behind your battle scars, poems that bleed and scream, art that shows the beauty beyond the tragedies of today. We want a glimpse of other worlds, other selves, other truths. Let the world bask in the power enclosed between your words, hidden in the strokes, ringing just on the tip of your fingers.
Unless solicited, we exclusively feature women and LGBTQIA+ writers and artists from local or diasporic South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia (or Middle East), and Central Asia. If you do not identify as such, please refrain from submitting as we will only disqualify your submission. Please read and abide to our submission guidelines to be considered for publication.
Expedited Feedback & Editorial Critique
Staying true to our advocacy to support marginalized identities, we will be offering expedited feedback or editorial critique for contributors who can show any proof of donation to any nonprofit organization catering to women and/or LGBTQI+ folk. Our suggested organizations are as follows:
You may choose to donate to organizations that are not on this list, so long as their target demographic matches our requirement. Donations directly to The Brown Orient will also be considered for this offering. For donations worth $5, contributors will receive expedited feedback (within 1 week, as compared to the standard 2-month response time) for their submissions. For donations worth $10, we will provide a detailed editorial feedback courtesy of the genre editor and editor-in-chief, also to be received within a week.
- Central Asian Institute: a nonprofit organization aimed at providing quality education for young girls based in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
- Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA): a Mumbai-based non-profit organization that works with women, children and public health and safety systems. Their innovative work in urban informal settlements aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, child malnutrition and gender-based violence.
- Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC): is a non-profit shelter that offers immediate protection and support services for women and children in the UAE against domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.
- National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA): a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations.
- Women for Women International: is a global organization that supports the most marginalized women in countries affected by conflict and war. Their programs enable them to earn and save money, improve health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect to networks for support.
You may choose to donate to organizations that are not on this list, so long as their target demographic matches our requirement. Donations directly to The Brown Orient will also be considered for this offering. For donations worth $5, contributors will receive expedited feedback (within 1 week, as compared to the standard 2-month response time) for their submissions. For donations worth $10, we will provide a detailed editorial feedback courtesy of the genre editor and editor-in-chief, also to be received within a week.
General Guidelines
- Please send all submissions to [email protected].
- In the subject line, state your name and what genre(s) you are submitting in (e.g. Elizabeth Ruth Deyro - Nonfiction).
- You may submit for more than one genre at a time, provided that you still follow the guidelines for each genre.
- In the body of your email, please include the title(s) of your submission(s) and the word count for each piece.
- Also include a brief, third-person biography statement (under 100 words) and any social media links.
- Cover letters are not required, but will be much appreciated.
- Textual submissions must be sent in Word (.doc/.docx) format. Visual submissions must be sent in JPG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) format. Please do not submit your pieces in PDF (.pdf) files.
- Kindly observe the specific guidelines for each genre.
- You may submit previously published work if permissible by the original publisher, although we prefer to see new and unpublished work. In the case that your submission has been previously published, kindly cite the original publisher and the date of publication.
- We encourage simultaneous submissions, so long as you classify them as such and promptly let us know if they’re accepted elsewhere.
- You are welcome to submit again as soon as you receive a response from us, regardless of whether we accepted your first submission or not.
- As we are a free digital-based volunteer-run publication, we cannot offer writers and artists any payment should their work be selected for publication. We hope that as the journal evolves, we will be able to rectify this.
- If accepted, you grant us the right to publish your work online indefinitely and promote your work in posts across social media. You also grant us the option to republish your work in part or as a whole. All rights revert to the contributor following publication. If your work is reprinted elsewhere, we request that you credit The Brown Orient as your first publication. You are also confirming that your submitted work is your own, and does not violate copyright laws.
- Interested contributors are encouraged to read previous issues to get a better feel of what we look for in submissions.
- We reserve the right to update our submission guidelines whenever deemed necessary.
- We reserve the right to reject work that promotes hatred and discrimination towards any race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, citizenship status, etc., as well as work that promotes rape, abuse, violence against marginalized individuals. We will reject submitted work or delete published work by authors or artists found to be guilty of such misconduct.
- As earlier mentioned, contributors can expect a decision for their submissions within 1-2 months. Contributors are encouraged to query regarding the status of their submissions after this standard response time.
Poetry
- You may submit up to five poems.
- Submissions should be in either Times New Roman or Garamond, 12 pt. font, and single-spaced, unless necessary formatting requires otherwise.
- Please place all poems in a single document. Each poem should begin on a new page.
Fiction
- You may submit up to three fiction pieces.
- Each submission must be under 2,000 words. Total word count can be above 2,000 words.
- Submissions should be in either Times New Roman or Garamond, 12 pt. font, and double-spaced.
- Please place each piece in a separate document.
Creative Nonfiction
- You may submit up to three nonfiction pieces.
- We welcome submissions of personal essays, memoir, profiles, and other nonfiction pieces.
- Each submission must be under 2,000 words. Total word count can be above 2,000 words.
- Submissions should be in either Times New Roman or Garamond, 12 pt. font, and double-spaced.
- Please place each piece in a separate document.
Art & Photography
- You may submit up to five pieces.
- You may include a short artist’s statement (about the meaning behind each piece, your inspiration, etc.)
in the body of the email or as a Word (.doc/.docx) document. - If possible, send only high definition copies of art and photography. We will prefer work sized 6"x9" but would consider all submitted art.
