Immigrant Stories of Arrival, Identity, and Hope

For The Writers is seeking submissions for "Immigrant Stories of Arrival, Identity, and Hope," focusing on the lived experiences of immigrants who came to the United States under various circumstances, whether documented or undocumented, as refugees, Dreamers, students, or children of mixed-status families. We want nonfiction that explains why you or your family came, what it meant to arrive, and how you have built a life while facing questions of legality, identity, and belonging. These stories will document the realities of immigration as they are lived, not reduced to policy or paperwork.

Call for Submissions

Immigrant Stories of Arrival, Identity, and Hope

We invite nonfiction submissions from immigrants—documented or undocumented, newly arrived or long established—who are ready to share the story of what brought them to the United States and what it has meant to build a life here. We are looking for essays, memoirs, and personal testimonies that explore the realities of migration: the decisions and circumstances that led to leaving home, the challenges of starting over, and the search for belonging in a new country.

This call creates space to preserve and amplify voices that are too often overlooked. Whether your family’s journey began generations ago or you arrived last year, whether you crossed an ocean, a border, or carried the weight of that journey in your parents’ arms, your story is part of the American narrative. We seek work that reflects the complexity of immigration—hope and hardship, resilience and uncertainty, loss and renewal—and that shows what it means to stay, strive, and survive.

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What We’re Looking For (Among Other Things)

We invite personal essays, reflections, and narrative nonfiction that explore:

• Why you or your family came to the U.S.;
  

• The dreams, fears, or circumstances that shaped your decision;
  

• Moments of arrival—big or small, triumphant or terrifying;
  

• Your experience of building a life, navigating identity, or redefining “home”;
  

• Acts of resilience, community, or unexpected kindness; and/or
  

• The challenges of legality, belonging, or cultural dislocation.

We are not looking for polished perfection—we’re looking for honesty. Humor, heartbreak, contradiction, beauty: all are welcome.

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Who Should Submit

We welcome submissions from:

• First-generation immigrants;
  

• Dreamers and DACA recipients;
  

• Refugees and asylum seekers;
  

• Individuals on work, student, or humanitarian visas;
  

• Undocumented immigrants;
  

• Those who immigrated as children; and
  

• Those from mixed-status families.

If your journey has been shaped by immigration, this space was made for you.

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Submission Guidelines

We welcome submissions across all open categories. Please follow the guidelines below to ensure your work is properly considered:

• File Uploads: You may include up to five files with your submission. Accepted formats include Word documents, PDFs, audio recordings, photographs, and video files that support or accompany your written narrative.
  

• Cover Letter: A cover letter is required for all submissions. This should provide a brief introduction, explain the context of your piece, and note whether anonymity is requested.
  

• Document Format: Written submissions must be formatted as a Word Document or PDF, using 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and clearly titled.
  

• Deadline: Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, unless otherwise stated in your specific call.
  

• Anonymity and Privacy: If you request anonymity, we will remove all identifying details and handle your submission with the highest level of confidentiality. Your safety and privacy are top priorities for this project. We adhere to strict ethical editorial standards to protect the interests of every contributor.
  

Please carefully review the specific submission requirements for the call you’re responding to before submitting. We look forward to hearing your story and honoring it with the care it deserves.

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Your Story Is Not a Side Note

In the noise of politics and the weight of bureaucracy, immigrant lives are too often reduced to case numbers and categories. But your story is not a file on someone’s desk. It carries sacrifice, risk, memory, and the work of building a future against the odds.

To share it is to resist erasure. It is to insist that immigration is not a statistic but a lived history of courage, dislocation, and survival that deserves to stand in full view.

Submit