Dear Readers,   

In light of recent legislation on diversity, equity and inclusion across the nation, Nineteen Fifty-Six understands how easy it can be for people of color to feel unseen or unsafe at a time when our existence is considered threatening to some.    

With that in mind, we’re now accepting submissions for our upcoming issue, and this semester, the submission theme focuses on belonging, what it means to you to belong and its importance.    

A key component of belonging is representation. While the University of Alabama is home to over 7,000 students of color on such a large campus, it’s easy to get lost, feel isolated or unheard. We believe everyone’s story is important and deserves to be told, so we want to hear about your experiences on and off campus, how you’ve found your footing at the University, achievements, obstacles, and joy. We want your point of view.  

The possibilities for submissions are endless! However, you could choose from one of the following prompts:   

• • What has attending the University been like for you?   
  • What does belonging mean to you?    
  • How have you overcome times when you’ve felt alone?    
  • What does community mean to you?    
  • Write about a specific memory that evoked pride for being a person of color.   
  • Who is an important community or campus member who has been influential to you?   
  • How have you made a home for yourself at UA?   
  • What do you love the most about being a person of color?   
  • What does being a student of color at UA mean to you?   
  • What does real allyship look like to you?    
  • As a person of color, what does comfortability mean to you?    
  • What does DEI mean to you?   
  • Any advice for students who follow in your footsteps? 

We welcome submissions from all UA students, faculty, staff and alums of color.    

For submissions, we’re looking for personal essays, creative nonfiction pieces, poems, photo essays, video essays and other creative projects that emphasize pride, community or belonging.    

The deadline for submitting is 11:59 p.m. CT on Sunday, Sept. 1. If your piece is accepted, our writing editor will reach out by Friday, Sept. 6, via email and will begin working with you to develop your story throughout September for our release in November.      

For further information, check out the link in bio or contact our writing editor via email at 1956magazine@ua.edu.  

Thank you so much for sharing and trusting us with your story. We look forward to hearing from you!  

Submission Guidelines and Other Frequently Asked Questions:    

• • Nineteen Fifty-Six publishes essays written for a general audience by people of color who are affiliated with the University of Alabama. No academic work will be accepted. 
  • We’re looking for completed stories that are creative, have strong narrative arcs, and are accurate, even if they are personal narratives.    
  • Each submission must be between 300 and 750 words.  
  • Deadlines for submissions are set with our timelines for each issue, but we accept submissions on a rolling basis.     
  • The deadline for submissions for the November 2024 issue is Sept. 1. 
  • Feel free to reach out if you are still waiting to hear back within two weeks after the submission deadline.    
  • No, you don’t need to know AP style. After a story has been accepted, our writing editor and assistant writing editors will work with contributors on fact-checking, copy-editing, and formatting. 
  • Contact an editor if you haven’t received a response to your submission within two weeks.  
  • Interesting in joining the staff of Nineteen Fifty-Six? Contact our writing editor at 1956magazine@ua.edu.