Deadline: November 15, 2025
Send submissions (and questions) to Co-Directors James Jiggetts and Geovonday Jones at bsbv@bartertheatre.com
By submitting your work to Black Stories Black Voices, you are helping Barter Theatre curate a Black Appalachian Canon of both the past and the present. Whether you reside in Appalachia or not, we welcome any and all Black writers to submit relevant works.
Submissions sent in prior to November 15th, 2025 will be considered for a staged reading during Barter’s 5th Annual SHINE: Illuminating Black Stories in Spring 2026.
If you already have a piece of work set in Appalachia, we encourage you to submit it. If you do not have any Appalachia-inspired works but would like to write one, please consider a topic from our official Shine 2026 prompts list.
For any and all questions or content submissions, please email our Co-Directors James Jiggetts and Geovonday Jones at bsbv@bartertheatre.com
APPALACHIAN STATES: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Monologue Submission Guidelines
Playwright must be Black.
Monologues must be set in Appalachia.
Monologues must be 3-5 minutes in length.
Monologues must be unpublished and not have had a professional production.
Monologues must be submitted electronically.
Scene Submission Guidelines
Playwright must be Black.
Monologues must be set in Appalachia.
Monologues must be 5-10 minutes in length.
Monologues must be unpublished and not have had a professional production.
Monologues must be submitted electronically.
Full Length Play Submission Guidelines
Playwright must be Black.
Plays must be written by an Appalachian playwright or the plays must be set in the Appalachian Region.
Plays must be full length.
Plays must be unpublished and not have had a professional production.
Plays must be submitted electronically.
Submissions sent in prior to November 15th, 2025 will be considered for a staged reading during Barter’s 5th Annual SHINE: Illuminating Black Stories in Spring 2026.
If you already have a piece of work set in Appalachia, we encourage you to submit it. If you do not have any Appalachia-inspired works but would like to write one, please consider a topic from our official Shine 2026 prompts list.
For any and all questions or content submissions, please email our Co-Directors James Jiggetts and Geovonday Jones at bsbv@bartertheatre.com
APPALACHIAN STATES: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Monologue Submission Guidelines
Playwright must be Black.
Monologues must be set in Appalachia.
Monologues must be 3-5 minutes in length.
Monologues must be unpublished and not have had a professional production.
Monologues must be submitted electronically.
Scene Submission Guidelines
Playwright must be Black.
Monologues must be set in Appalachia.
Monologues must be 5-10 minutes in length.
Monologues must be unpublished and not have had a professional production.
Monologues must be submitted electronically.
Full Length Play Submission Guidelines
Playwright must be Black.
Plays must be written by an Appalachian playwright or the plays must be set in the Appalachian Region.
Plays must be full length.
Plays must be unpublished and not have had a professional production.
Plays must be submitted electronically.