The Lagos Review

What this publication wants

This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Personal essays, Essays. Official guideline: The Lagos Review guidelines.

Topics, themes and styles they look for

• Essays up to 1,500 words on loss and grief in all their forms — not only death.
• Official examples include: loss of freedom through incarceration, kidnapping or injustice; migration and losing or searching for home; missed opportunities and vanished dreams; pregnancy loss; domestic or intimate partner violence; discrimination by race, tribe or ethnicity; losing a parent, child, partner, friend, or a stranger whose story pierced you.
• First-person, honest, specific lived experience.

Subjects they avoid

• AI-produced essays will not be considered.
• Fiction will not be considered for this call.

Key requirements

• Essay, maximum 1,500 words
• Email to submissions@thelagosreview.ng

Who can submit

The official call does not state a nationality restriction. It is framed around personal experience of loss and grief.

Rights

Not fully stated. The call notes that the top 12 published essays may be compiled into a book collection with a one-off $500 royalty. Broader rights terms are not on the call page.

AI policy

Prohibited

How to write for them

Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.

BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.

How to pitch

Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.

1. Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
2. Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
3. Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
4. Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
5. Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
6. Say why it fits this publication.
7. Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
8. Close professionally and thank them for their time.
9. Send through the official channel only.

Reads year-round; no submission window to wait for.

Track this pitch

How to submit

Email

Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.

• Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
• Submission: Email
• Submission email: submissions@thelagosreview.ng

What the guideline asks you to prepare

• Email your essay to submissions@thelagosreview.ng.
• Submissions are received on a rolling basis from June to December 2026.

What happens after submission

Expected response: Not publicly stated

If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.