Search Results

< Back 'Tis the Season for Gifts & Giving Brittany Heckard Dec 12, 2024 Find out how to support Torch and our community sponsors and supporters this holiday season! December is here and we’re in the season of giving! Knowing that holidays are approaching, we understand the stress of picking gifts! If you're stuck on what to get your friends and family, we have a few ideas for the literature lovers in your life. We’ve put together a list of gifts that also give back to the community and/or are supporters of Torch! Torch’s BookShop: Did you know Torch has a Bookshop page dedicated to our Torch Features? There’s nothing better than knowing that when you shop our Bookshop page, you’re supporting Black women writers, Torch Features, and our organization with every purchase. 10% of sales made from our Bookshop page directly support Torch. You can find our page by visiting bookshop.org/shop/torchliteraryarts . Give the Gift of Rest: Do you know someone who could really use an hour or two to relax? If you’re in the Austin area, one of Torch’s community match sponsors, Mantis Massage, offers gift cards and massage packages for those needing to release the stress we build up from busy work weeks, and always being on the go. Protect Someone’s Crown: Fanm Djanm, another Torch community sponsor match, is a Haitian woman-owned small business specializing in headwraps and other lifestyle products. They have a curated selection of gifts under $50, $30, and $20 including headwraps, shirts, waist beads, and more! Support Small Bookstores: Looking for a book that may not be by a Torch Feature? There are so many local bookstores carrying all of your favorite books! A few of our favorites include community bookstore partners Black Pearl Books , BookWoman , BookPeople , Resistencia , and Alienated Majesty . Giving the Gift of Support: If you’ve already purchased gifts but still have a giving heart, donating to Torch is another great way to give a gift that will have a lasting impact. We’re still raising money for our end-of-year campaign goal of $35,000 and every bit counts. You can donate to Torch here. No matter what you give or receive, we hope that you enjoy the time spent with loved ones this holiday season! Previous Next

< Back Torch Announces the 2024 Retreat Fellows Brittany Heckard Apr 12, 2024 Eight fellows were selected to attend the second annual retreat for Black women writers at the Colton House in Austin, Texas from July 21-28, 2024. AUSTIN, Tex., April 12, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts is proud to announce the 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows! The eight fellows were selected by a committee from 216 applicants with works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays, screenplays). Torch is honored to support these writers with a week-long stay at the Colton House Hotel from July 21-28, where they will work on their unfinished projects with check-ins and options to share their work in a nurturing environment. Every retreat fellow receives a $1,000 stipend to help with costs associated with travel, supplies, or other financial needs to support their attendance at the retreat. Introducing the 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of an award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. Her fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic works are widely published and produced. They appear in Both Sides: Stories from the Border, story South, Another Chicago Magazine, New Daughters of Africa, Novus Literary Journal, Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction , the Chicago Humanities Festival, Lifeline Theatre, and other outlets. She also coedited the multi-arts anthology, Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks . Professional recognition includes a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the American Library Association Black Caucus Award, the Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, a Lifeline Theatre BIPOC Adaptation Showcase, the Globe Soup Story Award, the Plentitudes Journal Prize for Fiction, an Institute for Writers First Pages Award, the Circle of Confusion Writers Discovery Fellowship, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and other awards and honors. Sandra Jackson-Opoku has taught literature and writing at the University of Miami, Columbia College Chicago, the University of Chicago Writers Studio, and Chicago State University. She presents workshops, readings, and literary events in arts organizations worldwide. m. mick powell is a queer Black Cape Verdean femme, an artist, an Aries, and the author of the chapbook threesome in the last Toyota Celica (Host Publications, 2023). Their debut full-length collection, DEAD GIRL CAMEO , is forthcoming from One World Books/Random House in Summer 2025. An assistant professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut and a 2023 Tin House Resident, mick enjoys chasing waterfalls and being in love. Keep up with them at www.mickpowellpoet.com or @ mickmakesmagic.art on IG. ESTHER IFESINACHI OKONKWO is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and a third-year PhD candidate in Creative Writing at Florida State University. Her fiction has appeared in Isele Magazine , Guernica , and Catapult . She’s a recipient of the 2021 Elizabeth George Foundation Grant. Her debut novel, THE TINY THINGS ARE HEAVIER , is forthcoming with Bloomsbury in the Spring of 2025. Home for her is Lagos, Nigeria. Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton is an award-winning literary artist, director, performer, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. She authored Newsworthy ( Bloomsday Literary, 2019) and Black Chameleon (Henry Holt & Co., 2023), which won the Carr P. Collins Award for Best Nonfiction Book through the Texas Institute of Letters (2024). This recent memoir examines Black womanhood through afrofuturistic mythology. Stories that Mouton later adapted into a storybook opera (Lula, the Mighty Griot, HGO) and an independent short film (Headache & Heartthrob). She’s penned stage works including Marian's Song (Houston Grand Opera), Atlanta: 1906 (Atlanta Opera) & On My Mind (Opera Theater St. Louis). Serving as Playwright/Director, she produced The World's Intermission , commissioned by Performing Arts Houston (Jones Hall), and Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson , a choreopoem (Stages Theater) which made the cover of the NYT Culture section. Mouton has contributed writings for Glamour , Texas Monthly, and ESPN's Andscape . A former Resident Artist with the American Lyric Theater, Rice University, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture, her upcoming projects will debut at The Kennedy Center and American Lyric Theater. She resides in Houston, TX. DW McKinney is a writer and editor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. A 2024 Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow, she is the recipient of fellowships from the PERIPLUS Collective, Writing By Writers, and The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow. Her work appears in Los Angeles Review of Books , Oxford American , Ecotone , TriQuarterly , and Narratively , among others. The founder and instructor for We Are The House: A Virtual Residency for Early-Career Writers at Raising Mothers , she also serves as the nonfiction editor at Shenandoah . Learn more at www.dwmckinney.com Elizabeth Brown is a screenwriter living in Richmond, Virginia. Her upcoming feature screenplay is, in some ways, a departure from her earlier unreleased work, which was heavily influenced by science fiction and steeped in humor. For her current feature, she instead uses realism to ground her characters and send them on dramatic yet tangible journeys. Meredith L. King (she/her) is a creative nonfiction writer, playwright, sound-smith, and poet. Her work engages Black kinship, uncomfortable truths, and the collision of place with identity. Meredith holds a B.A. from Stanford University with honors, and an M.B.A. from Yale University. She is a 2024 Anaphora Arts Fellow, a 2024 Tin House Scholar, received a 2022 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for Playwriting, and was named Best Local Playwright of 2020 by Cleveland Scene Magazine. Additionally, her creative work has been supported by the Midwives Artist Collective, at Louis Place, Dobama Theatre Playwrights Gym, Cleveland Public Theatre, Nolose, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, HBMG Foundation, and featured on NPR’s Here and Now. Meredith is based in Cleveland, OH, where she is a loving dog-mom to a sassy Bichon Frise. Find Meredith at www.meredithlking.com Destiny Hemphill is a chronically ill ritual worker and poet, living on the unceded territory of the Eno-Occaneechi band of the Saponi Nation (Durham, NC). A recipient of fellowships from Naropa University’s Summer Writing Program, Callaloo, Tin House, and Kenyon Review's Writers Workshop, she is the author of the poetry collection motherworld: a devotional for the alter-life (Action Books, 2023), which was a two-time finalist for the National Poetry Series. Her work has also been featured in Poetry Magazine , Southern Cultures , and the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day series. She served as the 2022-2023 Kenan Visiting Writer in Poetry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and currently holds a Reading Fellowship at Tin House. The inaugural Torch Retreat convened in 2023 with six fellows writing across poetry, fiction, and script. Our 2023 retreat fellows included Ashley M. Coleman, Ajanaė Dawkins, Victoria Newton Ford, Ashunda Norris, Obinwanne Nwizu, and Keya Vance. You can watch a video of the 2023 Torch Retreat readings here . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Receives National Book Foundation Grant Sep 5, 2024 The National Book Foundation awarded Torch funding from the Capacity-Building Grant Program. AUSTIN, Tex., September 5, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts (Torch), a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying Black women writers, will receive funding from the National Book Foundation. This is the nonprofit’s first year receiving funding from the foundation. The National Book Foundation awarded Torch funding from the Capacity-Building Grant Program. The grant supports capacity building related to fundraising, marketing, and other necessary skills needed for nonprofit staff and board members. The grant is hyper-focused on the sustainability of nonprofit literary organizations. “Capacity building as a nonprofit can be difficult – especially as a Black-led, Black-serving nonprofit,” said Torch founder and executive director, Amanda Johnston. “Funding from the National Book Foundation continues our efforts to ensure our staff and board are supported in the extremely impactful work that we do at Torch.” The National Book Foundation’s grant will help supplement Torch’s growth as an organization. Just last year, Torch was able to add part-time positions including two fellowships and two part-time associates for content creation, communications, programming, and more. The organization is also growing its board by recruiting members with diverse backgrounds to help provide valuable input and networking opportunities. While the missions of nonprofits are important, capacity building is necessary for the sustainability of the nonprofits and their ability to fulfill their mission. Funding for capacity building in the nonprofit space is extremely limited, yet critical for long-term nonprofit operations. In fact, since COVID, there has been a push for philanthropies to loosen restrictions on grants and reporting for long-term and equitable sustainability. The National Book Foundation’s Capacity Building Grant awarded just under 50 literary arts nonprofit organizations. You can read more about the National Book Foundation’s Capacity Building Grant Program here . About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About the National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation was founded in 1989 to administer the National Book Awards, which has been one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the country since 1950. The Foundation also produces numerous educational and public programs that help connect readers to books in new and meaningful ways. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Raina Fields Advisory Board Member Raina Fields is a communications strategist, educator, and writer with experience in the private sector, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations. She is accredited in public relations (APR) and has degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and Loyola University Maryland. Raina is passionate about community outreach and the arts. She is a Cave Canem fellow and has published poetry in Blackbird , Callaloo , The Collagist, and Fjords Review , among others. She lives in Richmond, VA.

< Back Celebrating Women and a Sustainable Future with Torch Mar 6, 2026 This year’s Women’s History Month Theme urges us to celebrate women who are taking charge in regard to sustainability, and this International Women’s Day urges us to give to gain. March is Women’s History Month, and March 8th is International Women’s Day. Originally, Women’s History Week celebrated the week of March 8th. Now, Women’s History Month exists to recognize women’s many accomplishments throughout history. International Women’s Day came soon after as a global recognition day of women’s accomplishments. This year’s theme for Women’s History Month is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future”, designated by the National Women's History Alliance . This theme empowers the world to recognize and celebrate women leading in sustainability outside of pure environmental challenges, but also financial sustainability, community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity. For International Women’s Day on March 8th, we’re celebrating the theme “Give to Gain,” encouraging generosity and collaboration. This worldwide call to donate and share knowledge and resources not only empowers women but also provides more opportunities for women to thrive. In line with both themes, Torch is not only a sustainable online magazine but also addresses intergenerational equity by featuring Black women writers and provides financial sustainability by paying Black women professional rates for publication in Torch Magazine and for readings and workshop facilitation. We also hope you celebrate International Women’s Day by supporting Torch and Black women writers. Below are a few ways you can continue inspiring inclusion during Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with Torch. Events March 4-7th – Meet us at AWP ! March 9th - Writing Circle Torch Magazine Read our March 2026 Feature: Bettina Judd Read our March Friday Features Support Torch In celebrating women, we also want to thank each and every person who donated to our 2026 Amplify Austin campaign. With your help, we raised $2,875! You can still support Torch by donating here . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Releases 2024 Fall Season Aug 29, 2024 Torch’s 2024 Fall Season includes international poets, a screenwriting panel, workshops on character building and memoirs, the Wildfire Reading Series, and more! Following successful spring and summer seasons, and our August birthday celebration, Torch is excited to kick off our Fall Season this September. This Fall season, you can expect insightful workshops on character building, conversations on screenwriting, a visit from two Irish poets in collaboration with Texas State University and Culture Ireland, and so much more! You can RSVP to Torch’s Fall 2024 events by visiting torchliteraryarts.org/events . Our special events this season include: September 12 Workshop: It’s Your World: Character and World Building with Jennine “Doc” Kreuger September 25 In Conversation Series: Screenwriting Panel with Maya Perez and Shia Shabazz Smith September 28 Wildfire Reading Series: Icess Fernandez Rojas , author of The Opposite of Breathing is Cement: Poetry and Prose at Resistencia Books October 2-23 Workshop: Deborah Deep Mouton’s 4-week workshop on writing and developing a memoir October 9,10, and 12 Writing Across the Diaspora Reading & Conversation: Irish poets Nithy Kasa and FELISPEAKS will read from their works in Austin and at Texas State University. The poets will also provide free public workshops. November 7 Workshop: Questions for the Self: Using Found Text with Victoria Newton Ford November 13 Wildfire Reading Series: Krystal Marquis , author of The Davenports at Black Pearl Books November 15 and 16: Torch x Texas Book Festival: Poets Lynne Thompson and Morgan Parker will read from their works and speak on a panel during the 2024 Texas Book Festival Stay tuned for more fall events!! ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. For more information about Torch Literary Arts, please visit https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/ or follow @torchliteraryarts on Instagram. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Literary Arts Celebrates GivingTuesday with a Board Match, Supporter Toolkit, Giveaway, and More. Nov 19, 2025 Torch is joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement on December 2, 2025. This GivingTuesday, Torch Literary Arts will inspire generosity by raising $7,000 to support efforts to amplify Black women writers across the world. This is our fourth year participating in GivingTuesday. To kick off our fundraising, our Board has agreed to match the first $500 donated, getting us to a guaranteed $1,000 in fundraising for GivingTuesday! To celebrate GivingTuesday this year, we’re asking Torch supporters to prepare by saving GivingTuesday to your calendar as a reminder to support Black women writers. You can do that by clicking here to save the date to your personal calendar. We are also participating in a giveaway for Torch supporters based in Austin and the surrounding areas. We’ll be giving away two free tickets to the Austin PBS-produced BLACK DIVAS , a showcase merging cultural, musical, and health advocacy in one night, featuring legendary R&B singer Keke Wyatt! You can find out how to enter the giveaway by visiting our Instagram page . Torch is also activating peer support for GivingTuesday. All around the world, Torch Features, Retreat Fellows, and the wider community are spreading the word about Torch’s impact in their communities. Support during our peer-to-peer campaign not only amplifies the work that Torch does but also provides first-hand accounts of our community impact. Want to join in on supporting? You can access our Peer-to-Peer “P2P Toolkit” here . GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday will kick off the giving season by inspiring people to give back on December 2, 2025 , and throughout the year. "This GivingTuesday represents more than a single day of giving—it's a powerful reminder of our shared ability to create meaningful change together," said Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday. "When communities unite with purpose and compassion, they don't just raise funds; they strengthen the bonds that make them resilient and hopeful. Every act of generosity, from big to small, becomes part of a collective force that builds a brighter future for all.” Those who are interested in donating to Torch’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit torchliteraryarts.org/donate . For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit givingtuesday.org . About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (TORCH) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. TORCH has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About GivingTuesday GivingTuesday is a movement that unleashes the power of generosity around the world. It was created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y and incubated in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact. What started as a simple idea of a day that encourages people to do good has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity year-round. The movement is brought to life through a distributed network of entrepreneurial leaders who lead national movements in more than 110 countries across the globe. An integral part of the global generosity movement is the GivingTuesday organization, which offers support and resources to GivingTuesday leaders and fosters connection and collaboration across the network. To learn more about GivingTuesday, please visit: www.givingtuesday.org . Previous Next

This link is no longer valid. Back to Site

Torch Literary Arts' digital publication, Torch Magazine, publishes, promotes, and archives creative writing by Black women. Archive Explore Torch Features from 2022 to the present. Click images below for Torch Magazine 2006 to 2016. *All back issues are being reformatted. Digital versions will be available. Subscribe to our e-newsletter for updates. Torch Magazine Features A. E. Wynter Adriene Cruz Adrienne Dawes Aisha Sharif Ajanaé Dawkins Alexa Patrick Alexis Pauline Gumbs Alma Simba Almah LaVon Rice Ambata Kazi-Nance Amina Gautier Ana-Maurine Lara Anastacia-Reneé Andrea "Vocab" Sanderson Angel C. Dye Angela Redmond-Theodore April Sojourner Truth Walker Ari Foster Ariana Brown Arianne Elena Payne Aricka Foreman Ariel Moniz Arisa White Ashunda Norris Benin Lemus Bettina Judd Beverly Chukwu Bianca Spriggs Boloere Seibidor Brandy Victoria Brianna Johnson Brittany Rogers C. Prudence Arceneaux C. Jean Blain c.r. glasgow Camara Aaron Camille Hernandez Camille Dungy Carletta Carrington Wilson Celeste Doaks Chanda Feldman Chantal James Charla Lauriston Chidima Anekwe Chiyuma Elliott Christina Springer Chyann Hector Cieara Estelle Cindy Elizabeth Clynthia Burton Graham Colleen J. McElroy Crystal Wilkinson Crystal Williams Cynthia Manick Damilola Omotoyinbo Dana Tenille Weekes darlene anita scott Dawn Okoro Deborah Mouton DeLana Dameron Demitrice Worley DeShara Shuggs-Joe Desiree S. Evans Destiny Birdsong devorah major Donika Kelly Dolen Perkins-Valdez E.J. Antonio Ebony Stewart Edythe Rodriguez Ehigbor Okosun Elisha Mykelti Elizabeth Alexander Elizabeth de Souza Erica Fredrick Erica Nicole Griffin Esther Kondo Heller Evie Shockley Fatihah Quadri Fatimah-Ayan Hirsi Faylita Hicks Felicia A. Rivers francine j. harris Gail Upchurch Glenis Redmond Hannah Olabosibe Eko Hermine Pinson Imani Nikelle Isha Camara Jacinda Townsend Jacquese Armstrong Jade Foster Jamey Hatley Jane Alberdeston Coralin Jasmine R Butler Jenelle Samuels Jennifer Coley Jennifer Falu Jennifer Price Jessica Araújo Jonterri Gadson Jordan E. Franklin Julia Mallory Juliet P. Howard K. Deneá Stewart-Shaheed Ka'Dia Dhatnubia Kailah Figueroa Kameryn Alexa Carter Katy Richey Keli Stewart Kelly Norman Ellis Kelly Harris DeBerry Khadijah AbdulHaqq Khalisa Rae Kimberly Dixon Kindall Gant Krista Franklin LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs LaToya Watkins Lauren K. Alleyne Lauri Conner Lenelle Moïse Lilian Oben Linda Susan Jackson Lisa B. Thompson Lor Clincy Lydia Mathis Lynne Thompson Madison Hunter Mahogany L. Browne Mary Weems Mecca Jamilah Sullivan Melanie Henderson Melissa Jones Metta Sama Mildred Lewis Mon Misir Monique Harris Monique-Adelle Callahan Nadia Alexis Nancy Shakir Natalie Graham Natasha Trethewey Natasha Ria El-Scari Natiesha Evans Nehassaiu deGannes Nicole Goodwin Nicole Sealey Nijla Mu'min Nikki Patin Nita Jade Obi Nwizu Octavia Washington Parneshia Jones Patricia Smith Rachel Eliza Griffiths Rahma O. Jimoh Raina J. León Remica L. Bingham-Risher Renee Breeden Rio Cortez Rochelle Robinson-Dukes Rohanna Ssanyu Ruth Ellen Kocher Sabrina Spence Saida Agostini Sami Schalk Samiya Bashir Sandra Jackson-Opoku Sapphire Savannah Balmir Senalka McDonald Shams Alkamil Sharon Bridgforth Sharon Dennis Wyeth Sharyon Culberson Shay Youngblood Shayla Lawson Shayla Hawkins Shia Shabazz Smith Shinelle L. Espaillat Shirley May Sydney Mayes t'ai freedom ford Tafisha Edwards Talicha J. Tameka Cage Conley Tanya Shirley Tara Betts Tatiana Johnson-Boria Tayari Jones Taylor Lena McTootle Taylor Lauren Davis Teri Ellen Cross Davis Toi Derricotte Toni Asante Lightfoot Torie Mchelle Toyin Odutola Tyra Douyon Valoneecia Tolbert Venus Alemanji Victoria Adams-Kennedy Wendy S. Walters Whitney French Wura-Natasha Ogunji Yael Valencia Aldana Yalonda JD Green Yolaine M. St.Fort Yona Harvey Yunina Barbour Payne zakia henderson-brown Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi Zoë Gadegbeku *Names of Torch Magazine features are updated annually.

Torch's annual retreat for Black women writers with works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script. Fellows enjoy a week-long stay at the Colton House Hotel in Austin, TX where they can write, rest, and dream. 2027 Torch Retreat July 18 - 25, Austin, TX Torch Literary Arts is proud to provide our annual creative writing retreat. We welcome applications from Black women writers with major works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction (memoir or lyric essays), and script (plays or screenplays). The Torch Retreat will return in 2027. We invite everyone to A Gathering of Flames: Celebrating 20 Years of Torch Literary Arts on September 25-27, 2026. Applications Are Closed Amplifying Black Women Writers Since 2006 Dedicated Writing Time Fellows receive plenty of time for dedicated writing devoted to their works-in-progress. We gently support you in your writing goals for the week by providing group check-ins and the opportunity to share your progress in a nurturing environment. Comfortable Accommodations Your comfort matters. The Colton House Hotel was carefully selected as the property for the Torch retreat to provide fellows with a plush environment where they may dream and write freely. Financial Support There is no fee to apply or attend the retreat. Each fellow will receive a $1,000 stipend to assist with travel, supplies, childcare, or anything else that helps make it possible for fellows to attend regardless of financial ability. Your Stay in Austin, TX Retreat fellows will stay at the beautiful Colton House Hotel . Accommodations include a private bedroom and bathroom in a two-bedroom suite with a shared living room and full kitchen. During your week-long retreat, you will receive dedicated writing time, breakfast and lunch provided, and ample time during the afternoons and evenings to rest, recharge, enjoy the hotel amenities, or explore the city. The retreat will also include guest speakers and a public reading by fellows at the end of the week. View photos from past retreats here . 2025 Torch Retreat Fellows 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows 2023 Torch Retreat Fellows

List of current employment and intern opportunities at Torch Literary Arts. Employment There are no openings at this time. Thank you for your interest in Torch Literary Arts.

Learn more about Torch Literary Arts, our team, our board of directors, and our advisory board. Our Story Torch Literary Arts started as a passion project in August of 2006 by Amanda Johnston to foster a supportive community of Black women writers, emerging and experienced. Fueled by wisdom and writings from other poets, novelists, and screenwriters, the award-winning Torch Magazine emerged to amplify Black women’s voices. After the pandemic, Amanda and Torch’s board of directors realized how critical Black women’s stories are for those facing isolation, grief, and creative rebirth. After much consideration and support, Torch Literary Arts registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit to sustain the organization and increase impact through exceptional programs that shine a light on Black women writers. In our nearly 20 years of operation, Torch has featured work from poets like Patricia Smith, Yona Harvey, and Toi Derricotte, screenwriters and playwrights like Jonterri Gadson, Charla Lauriston, and Lisa B. Thompson, and novelists like Tayari Jones, Crystal Wilkinson, and Sapphire. Today, Torch Literary Arts is a resource and destination for Black women writers and readers across the diaspora with over 16,000 annual visitors to TorchLiteraryArts.org, over 3,000 in-person and virtual audience members, and over 10,000 followers on social media. What We Do Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by emerging and experienced writers alike. Torch has featured work by Colleen J. McElroy, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, retreats, and special events. Our Mission To promote the work of Black women by publishing contemporary creative writing by emerging and experienced writers alike, to archive contributors' literary work for posterity and educational purposes, and to provide resources and opportunities for the advancement of Black women through literary arts. We Belie ve We believe that creative writing by Black women is valuable and necessary. We believe in preserving our literary legacy by working across generations. We believe that supporting creative writing adds to the cross-cultural appreciation of the arts. We believe in utilizing current technology to connect our work to a broader audience. We believe in meaningful collaboration based on respect, creativity, and freedom. We believe in the power of community. DEIA State ment Torch Literary Arts centers Black women within their complex, intersecting identities. We provide inclusive and accessible programs to our community at large and we are committed to leveraging our unique platforms to help create positive change.