Penned in Rage Literary Journal
Mission Statement
Penned in Rage Journal amplifies voices from marginalized and underrepresented communities.
The Journal is part of the Ella's Poems Project, launched in January 2022. This project uses creative writing activities to achieve these objectives:
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The main focus of this project is to promote a love for reading in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Ella’s Poems targets young people in the African continent, between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five - who are active online - in a bid to create a writers' hub on Facebook. Many creatives have found this sort of networking has not only helped them improve their writing skills but more importantly they'd been able to discover local writing opportunities.
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Ella’s Poem’s Project also celebrates the work of African creatives, such as their art, poems, stories and novels, irrespective of one’s social status.
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Many of the creatives who have benefited from this initiative have never written a poem or story in English before. So, our free writing competitions and published books, positively impact their lives.
SUBMIT a 40-line Poem, or a 1000-word Flash Fiction or Essay - Only One Submission Allowed Per Person Each Quarter, Thank You.
We Do Not Pay for Submissions.
Submit Free of Charge: Underrepresented writers from anywhere may submit a poem or flash fiction for consideration.
Response Time - Up to 6 Weeks
Editorial Feedback on Poems (To receive feedback on your submission or any other poem/s): £2.00
Please Address Your Submission to Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto, The Editor of Penned in Rage.
About Penned in Rage Journal
Penned in Rage magazine is focused on publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, flash fiction, experimental prose and hybrid works, written by underrepresented writers particularly creatives from the LGBTQ+ community in sub-Saharan Africa.
Each quarter a submission is chosen as the featured piece. The journal aims to create a community of subscribed readers who enjoy contemporary creative writing styles. Penned in Rage invites submissions from underrepresented and marginalised writers.
Submissions: Open in January, May (for the poetry competition; submissions from the slush pile will be considered for their suitability for the journal too) and October each year.
The 'unthemed' submission window will reopen Friday 01 MAY 2026 for the fifth online edition of Penned in Rage Literary Journal.
CLOSES 15 JUNE 2026.
Submissions: You may submit a 40-line poem in your African language (plus its translation) or a 40-line poem in English for consideration. Styles accepted: traditional poems, free verse, haiku, Fibonacci, prose et cetera preferred over meters. Maximum lines 40. Flash Story - maximum 1000 words; Fiction, Nonfiction and Non-academic essays accepted. We do not publish metered poetry of any shape or form, neither do we accept anything that offends other social groups. We only consider submissions sent through our online submission portal https://www.ellaspoems.com/#subscribe-to-penned-in-rage-journal or by email. Please provide a brief 30-word third-person bio to accompany your submission. Only one poem not exceeding 40 lines and/or one story of not above 500 words will be considered.
Simultaneous Submissions & Withdrawals: We accept simultaneous submissions, but we must be immediately notified if a piece is accepted elsewhere. If you wish to withdraw your submission, please email me directly at pennedinrage@outlook.com with the title/s of the work(s) you are withdrawing.
Previously Published Work: Except for submissions to be considered for Creative of the Month, we will not publish pieces which have appeared elsewhere, including social media sites.
Publishing Rights: We ask for first time worldwide rights for accepted pieces. Following publication, all rights revert back to the author.
Payment: Penned in Rage Journal was borne out of a small, self-funded project. At this time, we are not able to offer payment to our contributors for published works; however, the PDF version of the journal is widely circulated to subscribers and promoted on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
How is the journal published?
Triannual Online Publication - Downloadable PDF: January 31st, June 30th, October 31st
From July 1, 2026, Penned in Rage Journal will no longer accept submissions from writers hiding their real identity, due to the difficulty of marketing their work through social media adverts. I will not accept photographs that are pixilated, altered or doctored to conceal the writer’s face. This means you cannot send me photographs in which you have used props like sunglasses and hats to disguise your features.
Further, I ask that you please include your social media profiles and/or author websites in your bio. It doesn’t help credibility when a writer calls themselves Darth Vader, Barbie doll or Alien Bob. While those pseudonyms used to be cool, nowadays they make you seem less professional and kind of odd.
With the proliferation of AI-generated content in the creative space, being discoverable and traceable helps your credibility. I am not saying it prevents the use of artificial intelligence to write poetry, stories, essays or create art, I am saying trusted voices are less likely to risk reputational damage by sending outlets AI-content. A creative who is well known may have hundreds of followers that can identify what that creative’s authentic voice sounds like.
Your/our readers can distinguish a real authorial voice from a mechanical one.
Contributor Payment Notice
I value and appreciate every creative voice that contributes to my publications. At present, I am unable to offer financial compensation for submissions. All contributions are on a voluntary basis - except where work was solicited for $10 USD - and I aim to provide a platform for your work to reach a wider audience.
About the Editor-in-Chief of Penned in Rage
I’m pleased to announce that head judge for the 2026 poetry competition is Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto. Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto is a PhD candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he is also a teaching assistant. He holds a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature. Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto is the author of a collection of poems: The Naming (University of Nebraska Press, 2025) and the chapbook: The Teenager Who Became My Mother. https://www.chinuaezenwa-ohaeto.com/
