The journal is scheduled to launch on October 29th, 2023 at the Lagos International Poetry Festival.
By Helena Olori
Márọkọ, an annual print and digital journal published by the Lagos International Poetry Festival, is now open to receiving submissions for its second issue, beginning from July 1st till August 21st, 2023.
Themed “Here and Now”, this year’s issue will explore the shared global apprehension following the aftermath of the pandemic, capturing narratives of change, adaptation, and survival.
“The theme finds its roots in the shared global apprehension following the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The echoes of lockdowns, deaths, the reshaping of economic landscapes, and the resonating cries for justice, from America to Lagos form the backdrop of our post-covid era,” it stated in a series of tweets emphasising the relevance of this year’s theme. “We realise that we are still in the process of healing, of understanding the depth and breadth of these seismic shifts. We envision this edition as an international mosaic of voices, writers acting as witnesses to these transforming times.”
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The journal, scheduled to launch on October 29th, 2023 at the Lagos International Poetry Festival, will be produced in partnership with the British Council’s International Collaboration programme. It will feature poems and essays from six resident poets and writers participating in the transatlantic and collaborative residency taking place in Scotland and Ghana, alongside selected submissions.
Creatives with original, previously unpublished work in poetry, reviews, profiles, personal essays, and visual art/photography, that capture the theme “Here and Now” are encouraged to send in their entries to submissions@marokomag.com on or before the deadline date of August 21st, 2023.
All submissions must be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and sent with the genre as the email subject, along with a short bio of no more than 150 words. Multiple entries in different genres are also welcomed.
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Márọkọ́ is a “Journal of African Poetry” named after the thriving migrant community located east of the Lagos Lagoon who were forcefully evicted in the 1990s to create the ever-growing urban area in Lagos. The inaugural edition was launched in 2022 with the aim of connecting pan-African and pan-diasporic experiences, in poetry, prose and visual art, and tracing a contemporary canon across the contours of black urban life.
Selected submissions for this year’s publication will receive monetary compensation. No submission fee is required. See details here. Further enquires can be sent to submissions@marokomag.com.