Abuja Narratives Initiative opens call for short story anthology
By Editor
THE Abuja Narrative Initiative (TANI) has announced an open call for submissions to The Abuja Narratives, a forthcoming short story anthology aimed at documenting and celebrating the diverse realities, histories, and identities of Nigeria’s capital city.
Under the chairmanship of Udenta O. Udenta, the anthology has as theme ‘Abuja: Seen, Unseen, Remembered, Imagined’ and invites writers to produce original stories that portray Abuja as a living force that shapes character, conflict, memory, and imagination. The initiative seeks contributions from both emerging and established writers who have experienced Abuja, regardless of where they currently reside, including members of the Nigerian diaspora.
Stories must be original, unpublished, and between 1,000 and 5,000 words, although exceptional shorter entries may also be considered.
According to the organisers, submissions should vividly capture the city’s geography, institutions, and social rhythms, presenting Abuja as more than a backdrop but as an active participant in the narrative.
The call for entries opened on 11 May 2026, while submissions will close on 30 July 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (WAT). Entries should be submitted in Microsoft Word format via email to taniabujaculture@gmail.com, with a copy to salamatu@fahimta.ng, alongside a brief author biography and contact details.
Through the anthology, TANI hopes to build a place-based literary archive that preserves and amplifies the many stories of Abuja, encouraging writers to tell the city “as only you have known, imagined, remembered, or survived it.”
