Rigorous is an online journal highlighting the works of authors, artists, critics, and educators of color. We take our name from an accusation commonly leveled at authors of color—that our works are not as rigorous as works created by white authors. We add our voices; we continue to prove otherwise.

We publish fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, visual art, sound art, audiovisual art and movies, cartoons, and any other artistic creations by people of color. We accept all genres, and have a particular affinity for science fiction, superheroes, and other “geek” genres. We enjoy work geared toward the Young Adult market, but we note that Rigorous will sometimes have content that is “Not Safe For Work.”

We seek essays on the personal experiences of people of color and interviews with interesting people of color. We seek critical analysis of art by people of color. We are especially interested in stories about and by educators of color, and the experience of teaching the works of people of color.

Rigorous is edited by Rosalyn Spencer and Kenyatta JP Garcia. If you’d like to submit, please do so through Submittable. If you are a white ally working on these issues, please consider our friends at Unlikely Stories and horse less press.

All submissions are handled through Submittable. Please submit up to 10 files, with a maximum of 3000 words.

Please include a cover letter with a brief bio (up to 100 words).

For text submissions: we prefer an easily-editable file, from Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Writer. We know that line spacing is very important to some poets, so some poets prefer to submit a .pdf file to ensure their spacing is handled properly. If you do this, please submit a .pdf and a Word (or Writer) file.

We are open to spoken word presentations, songs, and music videos. Feel free to submit an audio or audiovisual file of such performances. When you do so, additionally submit a Word or Writer file with the full text of your submission.