What is Harriet's House?

Harriet’s House is an online magazine that publishes one literary horror story a month by a writer of the African diaspora. Harriet’s House is an homage to Harriet Jacobs, a formerly enslaved Black woman and one of the first Black authors to write in the gothic genre, horror’s fraternal sister, noted as the well from which modern horror writing sprang. During Harriet’s lifetime, she hid in the crawl space of her grandmother’s house for seven years to escape a menacing slave owner who threatened to sell her children. For a long time, home was a precarious concept for Harriet. The magazine is an ode to her and the house she built for those who have followed in her literary footsteps.

Harriet’s House will be accepting unsolicited submissions of short fiction between 1,250 and 2,500 words from April 8th-May 31st.

Submissions for Harriet’s House are accepted via Submission Manager. 

Stories
Meet the Editors
Alexandria Valentine
Founding Editor
Read Bio
Darling Heart
Managing Editor
Read Bio
Kayla Bartee
Associate Editor
Read Bio
FAQs
What should you send us?

Spellbinding work. Stories that will creep behind us all day long. Stories that will get under our skin. Stories that will make us grasp at our imaginary pearls. Stories that will make us sit quietly blinking at the computer screen. Stories that will haunt us.

Short stories between 1,250 and 2,500 words. While we are looking for submissions primarily in English, inclusions of other languages and dialects that don’t hinder the overall understanding of the narrative are, of course, welcome. Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Writers retain all the rights to their work.

We are interested in but not limited to: gothic horror, speculative horror, supernatural horror, body horror, psychological drama and survival horror.

We expect our response time to be between 3-5 months.

We are a volunteer run magazine and cannot currently compensate writers but we look forward to having the capacity to do so in the future.

Contact Us!
  • Harriet's House Magazine 2025
Alexandria Valentine
Alexandria Valentine Founding Editor
Alexandria Valentine is a writer and editor from Chicago. They earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts at the Columbia University School of the Arts. Their writing has been supported by The Kenyon Review Fiction Workshop, Tin House Workshop and the Periplus Collective. Valentine’s work has appeared in South 85 Journal, Arkana and elsewhere. Valentine also serves as an associate editor at Iron Horse Literary Review. They are currently at work on their debut novel.
Darling Heart
Darling HeartManaging Editor
Darling Heart is a Louisiana-born, Maryland-based writer, editor, creative, and communications professional. Darling earned dual bachelor’s degrees—a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, a Bachelor of Arts in African and African-American Studies—from Louisiana State University and a Master of Public Administration and Policy from American University. Darling has served as a writing tutor and a slam team member. Darling’s written work is highly technical while still touching the heart of the reader. It is grief-stricken and love-drenched, and it is Darling all along.
Kayla Bartee
Kayla BarteeAssociate Editor
Kayla Bartee is a writer from Tennessee and now lives in New Jersey. At Vanderbilt University, she specialized in both fiction and nonfiction, earning the Merrill Moore scholarship for her memoir writings. She received her MFA in fiction writing from the Columbia University School of the Arts and is currently working on her debut novel. Kayla’s genre interests include speculative fiction focused on race politics, magical realism, and gothic historical fiction.

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