Everyone has a story to tell. As Black women, we constantly find ourselves portrayed under one of three lens by the media: the superhuman lens, where we attain extraordinary achievements despite our identities and that’s why we deserve to be celebrated, the angry Black woman who can only be loud and mad, and the jezebel lens, where we are overtly-sexualized and reduced to pieces of flesh for male consumption. This is the danger of a single story, and one that Carefree actively desires to dismantle. To do this, we need to hear from you! Let’s talk about you through the lens of: 

-Identity
-Self-Exploration
-Sex & Relationships
-Health & Wellness
-Social Justice
-Intersectionality
-& More!

We’re looking for your views on current events, pop culture, and politics and how those topics relate to Black women at large. Bonus points if your views come from a lens of your own life experiences.

We accept submissions for short works of fiction that are either already published or previews of upcoming, soon-to-be-published novels. If your submission is a preview, give us the juiciest part of the story (without giving the ending away). Of course, submit stories where Black women are the protagonists.

I can’t think of anything that brings Black women together more than our love and pride in our hair. Whether we grew it or bought it, whether it’s pressed straight or left to its own kinky curly devices—we all have a different hair story to tell depending on the day. 

Hair Diaries documents a week in the life of you and your hair. We want to hear everything: from how you styled it for the day, which products you used, what time you woke up to make sure you had enough time to get your style right, your feelings about your hair, comments other people may have made about it and everything in between! We recommend you include a wash day in your diary so readers get the full scoop of your hair process as well as your hair texture type and porosity (use this chart to identify–this helps readers get an idea of what your hair typically looks like in its natural state).

Inspired by the New York Times’ “Letter of Recommendation” – Twelve out of Ten is for the unknown, undiscovered, and underappreciated favorite things you’d ride or die for. This section is looking for submissions that celebrate a single mundanity, quirk, or niche you secretly (or not so secretly!) love and want the world to appreciate too. From religiously dipping your box braids in hot water, to Daria’s Landon, to stiletto shaped acrylic nails – we want specific and in-depth – borderline obsessive love letters dedicated to your favorite things.

Whether on the road to Accra, Bangkok, or the next town over, this section is for all your stories of adventure around the globe. How have you found yourself through travel? Maybe you learned more about your identity by reconnecting with your ancestral culture. Maybe you met someone or something along the way that changed your perspective. Or maybe you had the most lit girls trip ever and want to share the debauchery. As more and more of us go out to explore the world, either with travel partners or solo, Carefree wants to hear your stories from the road.