Call for Nominations and Submissions: Sounding Black Britain (ISSN 2979-3521), Volume 1
Sounding Black Britain (ISSN 2979-3521) is an independent chapbook series founded and edited by Dr Monique Charles. It publishes outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate student research alongside poetry, prose and artwork engaging with Black British music, culture and global influence. By creating a dedicated space for emerging research and creative work, the series aims to contribute towards building Black British music studies as a discipline.
Each volume is available as a free open-access PDF and as a print-on-demand chapbook.
There are two submission pathways:
1. Essay nominations from lecturers and supervisors
Lecturers and supervisors are invited to nominate one outstanding student essay from their teaching. Essays should centre Black British music, culture or related diasporic themes, and should be between 2,000 and 3,000 words. Essays are published as nominated, without content editing by the editorial team.
To nominate, please email soundingblackbritain[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject line “Essay Nomination”. Please include the student’s name, the essay title and a brief statement explaining why you are nominating it.
2. Creative submissions from students, practitioners and independent writers
Direct submissions are invited in the following forms:
Poetry: up to 40 lines
Prose: up to 750 words
Artwork: high resolution, accompanied by a short statement explaining its connection to Black British music
To submit, please email soundingblackbritain[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject line “Creative Submission”.
The deadline for all Volume 1 nominations and creative submissions is 31 January 2027. Volume 1 is scheduled for publication in spring 2027.
Further details about the series, including the full house style and contributor guidelines, are available at: https://www.soundingblackbritain.org.uk/