Call for Pitches: Planetary Blackness in the Year 2100
To mark the launch of Moya’s new publisher, 21Hundred, we are inviting pitches for a special volume on Planetary Blackness in 2100. We are looking for pitches that use the year 2100 as a canvas at the intersection of race, Blackness and the future.
Planetary Blackness: a vantage point that de-centres dominant notions of what it means to be Black in the world—not by inverting the margins, but by valuing each expression as if it too was the centre. The planetary celebrates the orchestral rather than a soloist rendition of Blackness.
For many of us, the present moment evokes a sense of déjà vu. We’ve witnessed familiar backlash in different parts of the world against efforts to confront anti-Black racism. Capitalism’s booms continue to lift the rich; its busts remain acutely racialised. New technologies and climate change have only amplified these effects, heightening the feeling of existential dread. And facing renewed assault in a hierarchical international order, democracy and sovereignty continue to prove necessary but insufficient conditions for glob Black liberation.
It’s tempting in such times to give in to the easy comforts of disillusionment or tending to one’s own. But we stand today on the shoulders of giants—ordinary people who found extraordinariness through responding to such times in the past with ideas and actions for freer futures. Indeed, with previous generations having delivered the twentieth-century victories of decolonisation, political and civil rights, and abundance of Black cultural production, what will today’s generations have to show by the end of the twenty-first century?
Against this backdrop, this special volume of Moya looks ahead to the rest of this century and beyond, pondering the pushes, pulls and pitfalls for Black liberation and seeking to spur visionary ideas for a new century beyond anti-Black racism. The special volume asks, what might the Black world look like in 2100 and how did it come to look that way?
The special volume asks, what might the Black world look like in 2100 and how did it come to look that way?
What we are looking for
We are interested in pitches that grapple with the questions below. As these are intended as nonexhaustive provocations, we do not expect direct responses and welcome creative interpretation of the theme. Interested contributors are also encouraged to see the year 2100 as a portal into any point across space and time relevant to formulating a creative, compelling and unique response to this call.
- What forms might racial hierarchy take under future conditions?
- What old racial ideas may reappear cloaked in new language, systems or technologies?
- What might become possible if race was no longer a factor in belonging or human worth?
- What has the struggle against anti-Black racism created that should be preserved and carried forward, and what should be left behind?
- What has, is or could Blackness be in the absence of oppression?
- What and where are the seeds for the next breakthrough in Black liberation globally, and how might they be planted, watered and nurtured?
Contributions may enter the conversation from any domain: politics, society, economy, environment, technology, culture, art, philosophy, sports—all are welcome. Only original contributions are accepted in this call.
We accept contributions in the form of essay, analysis, fiction, creative or narrative nonfiction, poetry, profiles, visual art, photography, multimedia, and art and culture reviews. This includes argument, story, image, sound, video, criticism, profiles, speculation, documentation or other creative forms.
We also welcome individual contributions and collaborations.
Evaluation criteria
Pitches will be evaluated based on the extent to which they propose work that is:
- Original or insightful responses to this call
- Creative, engaging and accessible while possessing theoretical or empirical depth
- Specific in terms of place and time while being globally relevant and evergreen
- Dynamic or offers a sense of narrative motion
- Critical, clear-eyed yet curious and open.
What we offer
Selected contributors will be invited to workshop their pitches and contributions with the editorial team. Our editorial process is exacting yet capacitating. We want you to excel, and we will endeavour to put in place the support you need to produce the best possible version of your ideas and contributions, aligned with Moya's editorial vision, goals and audience needs. We wish for you to emerge at the end of the process a more knowledgeable, confident and skilful member of the Moya community and wider 21Hundred network.
How to Pitch
To submit your intended contribution for consideration, complete the pitch form.
In the form, you will be asked to provide details about:
- The proposed contribution: What do you wish to create in response to this call?
- Connection to the special volume’s inquiry: How does your intended contribution engage with the central theme of Planetary Blackness in the year 2100 and questions related to it?
- Core question or tension: What question, argument, idea, image, scene or possibility will your contribution explore?
- Form: What form will your contribution take, and why is this the right form for it?
- Positioning: Why are you well placed to make this contribution?
Pitches are due by Thursday, 12 November 2026.
Questions? Drop us an email.
