Our Mission
Liminal Lit is an advocacy focused space for writers navigating the complexities of multiple identities. We exist because the most powerful stories often live in the "in-between" — the friction of existing at the intersection of different cultures, religions, languages, or the experience of being a minority in your own community.
Whether you are first generation, third generation, or simply navigating a lack of belonging, we want your raw perspectives. We do this to dismantle the barriers in traditional publishing and provide a dedicated platform for diaspora and marginalized voices to be heard, celebrated, and compensated.
Liminality is not just about geography. It is about the experience of living across borders of heart, mind, and heritage.
Liminal Lit exists to create a space for writing that resists simplification. We believe writers should not need to reduce their identities to be understood.
Issue I Contest: "Between"
Theme: Between — Identity & Culture
This issue is about identity and culture. We are looking for writing about what it feels like to live between different parts of who you are. This could mean being part of more than one culture, speaking multiple languages, balancing different beliefs, or feeling caught between expectations at home and in the world around you.
You can write about your background, your family, your religion, your community, or a moment when you felt like you did not fully belong in one place.
Prizes
$600 total awarded across selected works
Poetry | Short Fiction | Creative Nonfiction
Deadline: June 15th, 2026
Submit to the Contest PortalVoices
Short reflections from writers capturing identity and daily life as they are lived.
Voices is a space for short reflections from writers across different places and lived experiences. We are building a collection of perspectives that capture identity, culture, and daily life as they are lived—not simplified, not translated, just told honestly.
Submission Guidelines
- Length: 100–300 words.
- Format: Short reflection (paragraph form).
- Credibility: Please include your name (or pseudonym) and location (city/country).
Submissions may be written in any language. If possible, please include an English translation (it does not need to be perfect).
Email your submission to: liminallit@gmail.com
Subject line: Voices Submission – [Your Name]
The Editorial Initiative
Writing is a community process, but elite mentorship is often inaccessible. The Editorial Initiative provides deep, structural feedback at no cost to help writers refine their craft.
Initiative Guidelines:
- One piece only (Fiction, Poetry, or Non-Fiction).
- Turnaround: 2-4 weeks.
Founder
Sophie Baryalai
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Sophie is an Afghan American writer whose work explores the friction of cultural duality. Her writing has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards as an American Voice nominee and appears in Flash Fiction Magazine, Eunoia Review, Blue Minaret, World Insane, Lemonwood Quarterly, and Qafiyah Review. She is an editor for Red Folder News and she was selected by the senior editors at F(r)iction (Brink Literacy Project) for professional editorial development and narrative honing.