Magabala Books is excited to announce a call for submissions of short works of romance fiction by First Nation writers for a world-first anthology, edited by Melanie Saward, Ambelin Kwaymullina, and Kate Cuthbert. 

The anthology will explore the many different places, times, settings, and ways that people can fall in love, with submissions welcome from all subgenres and examples of romance across culture, genre, gender, sexuality, spirituality, and setting. 

The editors said:

‘Romance is the most popular fiction genre in the world, and though it has been often overlooked, it remains the genre of optimism and hope, community and connection. With this anthology, we hope to explore the unique intersection of genre romance and love through First Nations storytelling; we hope to find new voices and rediscover familiar favourites; and we hope to showcase the creativity and artistry of the genre and its writers. 

In short, we hope to fall in love.’ 

Magabala Publisher Rachel Bin Salleh OAM said:

‘Romance is in the air... We’re excited to be working on this project with three powerhouse commissioning editors.’   

Stories must adhere to the framework of the romance genre: 

• Stories must have a happy-ever-after, or happy-for-now ending
• Stories must focus on a romantic relationship 

We recognise that romance also exists across a spectrum of spice, but we will not be accepting erotic romance submissions at this time. 

Submissions should be between 1000 and 5000 words, and must be received by 5pm AWST on Friday, 31 October 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

Please email submissions to Melanie, Ambelin and Kate at:  FirstNationsRomance@gmail.com