Sounding Black Britain ISSN 2979-3521

How to Submit

Student Essays

We do not take direct submissions from students. Instead, we invite lecturers and supervisors at UK and international universities to nominate one outstanding undergraduate or postgraduate essay per academic year from their teaching. The essay should centre Black British music, culture, or related diasporic and global themes.

Please nominate essays between 2,000 and 3,000 words. Essays exceeding 3,000 words may be considered but will require the student to produce a shortened version for publication.

If you are a lecturer/professor and would like to nominate an essay and have consent from the student, please email us at soundingblackbritain@gmail.com with the subject line "Essay Nomination" and include:

Your name, institution, and department
The student name and level of study (undergraduate or postgraduate)
The essay title and a brief statement (two to three sentences) on why you are nominating it
The essay attached as a Word document or PDF

Essays are published as nominated. They have already been vetted through degree marking, and the series maintains a DIY aesthetic. No content editing is carried out by the editorial team.

Poetry, Prose, and Artwork

We welcome direct submissions of poetry, prose, and artwork that responds to SBB's theme. These can come from students, practitioners, or independent writers and artists.

Please note: artwork should be submitted in full colour or high-resolution greyscale. The print edition of each chapbook is produced in black and white to keep costs accessible. The free digital PDF preserves all work in full colour. Artwork submissions must include no more than two paragraphs outlining the connection to Black British music and culture.

To submit creative work, email soundingblackbritain@gmail.com with the subject line "Creative Submission" and include:

Your name and a brief bio (fifty words or fewer)
The piece(s) attached as a Word document, PDF, or image file
A short note on how the work connects to Black British music or culture

See SBB's house style

Volume 1 call details will be announced shortly.

Privacy notice

When you submit work to Sounding Black Britain, we collect your name, email address, institutional affiliation, and your submitted essay, poem, prose, or artwork. We use this information solely to consider your work for publication, to communicate with you about the editorial process, and (if accepted) to publish your work in print and open-access PDF formats. We do not use your data for marketing, mailing lists, or any purpose unrelated to the series.

Our lawful basis for processing is consent, which you give by signing the Contributor Licence Agreement and returning it to us. Your published work will be archived on Zenodo and will appear in the public record with your name and affiliation. Unpublished submissions and personal contact details will be retained for a reasonable period (up to two years) and then deleted. You have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data at any time by emailing soundingblackbritain@gmail.com.

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