The anthology series continues to serve as both a celebration of the present moment, the lush, complex terrain African poetics is currently negotiating, and an homage to the writers who paved the way.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
20.35 Africa has announced its call for submissions to Volume Nine of the 20.35 Africa Poetry Anthology Series, guest-edited by Akosua Zimba-Afiriyie Hwedie and Antony Fangary, alongside 20.35 Africa editors Ebenezer Agu, Precious Okpechi, and JK Anowe.
As 20.35 Africa enters its ninth year, the anthology series continues to serve as both a celebration of the present moment, the lush, complex terrain African poetics is currently negotiating, and an homage to the writers who paved the way. Since 2017, the series has gathered poets from every corner of the continent, including the Congo, Sudan, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, and beyond, affirming African poetry as alive and thriving.
Over the years, the anthology has featured a wide range of prominent and emerging poets, including Saddiq Dzukogi, Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Megan Ross, Dalia Elhassan, Clifton Gachagua, Hiwot Adilow, Cheswayo Mphanza, Nour Kamel, Rabha Ashry, and Ernest Jesuyemi, among many others. It has brought together poets living across Africa and throughout the diaspora, expanding the documentation of a vibrant, living poetic tradition.
The project has been described by Phillipa Yaa de Villiers as “serious, strident, playful—a promising, powerful clutch from the next generation of greats”. The anthology also functions as an educational resource and a free, environmentally conscious platform for disseminating poetry that speaks to the socio-political realities of our time.
Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie is a Zambian-Ghanaian poet who grew up in Botswana. She holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan and is the author of Born in a Second Language, winner of Button Poetry’s Chapbook Contest. Antony Baher Fangary is an Egyptian-American poet, food writer, and satirist from California. He was awarded the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship and is a PhD Candidate in Literary Arts and Creative Writing at the University of Denver.
The anthology is open to African poets aged 20 (or who would be 20 by the time of publication) to 35. African poets are defined as someone born in Africa, whose parents (at least one) are African, or someone who currently lives in Africa and has done so for at least 10 years.
Each contributor may submit only three poems, written in English. Works translated into English from any African language may be submitted, but must be accompanied by their original. Poems should ideally be within 40 lines.
All entries must be submitted in a single Word document, typed in Times New Roman, font 12, single-spaced, and sent via email to submissions@2035africa.org with the subject line “20.35 AFRICA SUBMISSION”. The deadline for submissions is midnight (UTC+01:00) on March 25, 2026.
Further details on eligibility and entry guidelines are available here.