Our Story

Pepper Coast Mag — formerly Pepper Coast Lit — is a nonprofit hub dedicated to amplifying bold, innovative voices from Liberia, Africa, and the global African diaspora.

Founded in 2022 by Jeremy Teddy Karn and Ayouba Touré, with vital support from Pamilerin Jacob, the magazine has grown into a critical space for emerging perspectives, language experimentation, and contemporary African thought.

‍Our goal is not only to publish outstanding writing, but to widen the global horizon through which African stories are seen, studied, archived, and valued. Pepper Coast Mag has become a central platform for Liberian literary expression. By uplifting voices from Liberia, we help preserve the nation's literary heritage while actively building its future.

‍Through special issues, features, editorial projects, and partnerships, we connect Liberian writers to continental and global conversations on art, literature, and social change.

We exist to:

  • Amplify young and emerging voices from within and outside Africa

  • Inspire new generations of creators, thinkers, and culture-builders

  • Reclaim, reframe, and re-center African stories on the world stage

‍ ‍What We Publish

‍ Pepper Coast Mag publishes work that is formally daring and emotionally resonant — writing that risks, imagines, and reorders the possible. We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, hybrid work, interviews, and visual art that:

  • Spotlight African histories, aesthetics, and cultural memory through a modern lens

  • Create space for honest inquiry around identity, language, migration, and futurity

  • Nurture a network of writers, readers, editors, and cultural workers committed to the work of transformation

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‍ ‍Submissions

‍ ‍We welcome submissions of poetry and prose from writers everywhere. Whether you are early in your practice or widely published, we want to read your work. Please carefully read our Submission Guidelines before submitting, and browse our Previous Issues to get a feel for the kind of work we champion.

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Projects & Prizes

Pepper Coast Mag proudly convenes:

  • The Pepper Coast Library Project — a community-led initiative expanding access to books, reading spaces, and literary resources in Liberia.

  • The Kofi Awoonor Poetry Prize — honoring excellence in poetry that embodies lived experience, insight, and artistic rigor.

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Contact

For submissions, inquiries, partnerships, or collaboration proposals: peppercoastmag@gmail.com