
Submit to Illino!
What kind of work are we looking for?
This cycle, we’re looking for submissions that push the bounds of language and indigenous stories! What does it mean to really represent African thought in English? What does it mean to expand local folklore, proverbs, and riddles through your writing? If your work is linguistically innovative, if it plays on commonly told stories, or if it sits on the fringe of familiar and new, then send it our way! Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Here’s some of our work that plays around with language and folklore:

All Genres are Welcome!
Final Notes
Compensation
Compensation for work starts at $20.
Submission Formatting
Learn more about how you can format your short story submission using this online article
Please contact us with any questions you have
We look forward to receiving your submission!

Blue Ruins is a story about Ahachi, an outcast at Ndibe Beach, whose life changes when she meets Nkasi, a man who seems too perfect to be real. Their connection is electric, pulling her into a love that feels otherworldly—because it is. As Nkasi invites her deeper into his mysterious world, Ahachi must decide if love is worth risking everything she knows. This story is poetic, haunting, and rooted in the beauty of myth and nature.