Submissions

What we’re looking for:

1. We are looking for well-written, engaging submissions that explore Botswana or reflect a Botswana world view.
2. If you are a Motswana, live in Botswana or are writing about or depicting Botswana, you can submit. Writers of all ages are welcome, including secondary school learners and young writers. Both new and experienced writers are encouraged to contribute.
3. In terms of fiction, plays and poetry, any theme is welcome. In terms of non-fiction, we are interested in work that explores arts, culture, literature, society and/or the humanities. In terms of artwork, surprise us and be ready to provide an overview of your work. Art that speaks to the Botswana experience in some way, or your experience as someone in Botswana, would be great.
4. Fiction and non-fiction pieces should be between 1000 and 5000 words, and plays should be one (1) Act only. Poems should not be longer than 40 lines.
5. You can submit up to four works in different categories or the same category. Please send them as separate documents.
6. For artwork, please send a maximum of three images in JPEG format.
7. While we encourage submissions exploring the full spectrum of life and human nature, including those of a sexual and violent nature, we discourage the gratuitous use/representation of graphic and explicit sex, violence, language, and will only publish material including those at our own discretion.
8. We will not accept work that is irrelevant to our areas of focus, promotes partisan politics, is unoriginal or infringes on copyright, is defamatory or potentially inflammatory or qualifies as hate speech.
9. Please don’t submit AI-generated work. We want to engage with your genuine voice and perspective.
10. We will not enter into detailed correspondence about why we did not accept a particular submission. Unfortunately not every style will work for us.

How to submit

1. All submissions must be sent to petlwanajournal@gmail.com. The subject line must read ‘Petlwana: Name, Genre’. (e.g. Petlwana: Tshepo Moremi, Essay). The email should include your full name, the name that you would like used on your work and a brief bio.
2. Your submission should be sent as a Microsoft Word attachment so that we can make edits, or a JPEG attachment. Please do not copy your work into the body of the email. We do not accept PDF.
3. We prefer unpublished work but will sometimes accept reprints. If your work was published previously, please include the publication details in your submission email. Work previously published within a year of submission will not be accepted.
4. Please give us 8 weeks to respond to submissions. If you don’t hear from us by then, send us a follow-up email. We are a small team of volunteers, so sometimes we fall behind.
5. Submissions are reviewed by the editorial team. We may suggest edits for clarity, style, or length. Writers will be consulted before final publication. Not all submissions will be published, but we aim to give encouragement and feedback where possible.
6. For tips on how to best present your written work, see the Shunn Manuscript Format.