Ebony Tomatoes Collective is a literary and arts magazine for personal and political liberation—by a Black, intersectional collective.
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Featured Writing
Fresh new pieces, hand-picked by our editors
The Village
goodnight mom i love you
Brooklyn-based writer Lilura Chacez is pulling on our heartstrings in this poem exploring the loss of a mother. Chacez paints the softest images—from the garden growing nurse plants to a grandma plaiting hair—that rescue the speaker’s memories from time.
By Lilura Chacez
The Village
An illuminating ethnography written by Angolan writer and budding economist Noémia Rocha. This nonfiction piece unpacks the intersections of culture, migration, and identity through the lens of African hair braiding salons. This compilation of essays examines the significance of hair braiding within the African immigrant community in New York, and the evolving role of hair salons as cultural and economic spaces.
By Noémia Rocha
The Self
A creative nonfiction story by writer, editor, and 2025 Brooklyn Poets Fellow JoliAmour Dubose-Morris. When Joli attempts to purchase a rare creature off of Craigslist, she is confronted by fragments of her past: high school boyfriends, nudes from the vault, and even Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. After journeying through the pervasive trauma and sexualization faced by Black femmes, Joli comes face-to-face with what lies beneath the surface of her psyche. This piece was originally published in our latest issue, Perennial Song.
By JoliAmour DuBose-Morris
Cover art by Ava Anglin
The Village
The stories across the Black Diaspora
goodnight mom i love you
The Selfgoodnight mom i love youBy Lilura Chacezin the garden of forking pathswhere we bury nurse plantsis where i lost youi wish i knew you before you knew meit’s late mom we should sleep grandma cornrows the branchesof our hair together in separate directionsthe...
Braiding Identity: African Women, Hair Salons, and Identity in New York
The VillageBraiding Identity: African Women, Hair Salons, and Identity in New YorkBy Noémia Rocha My first week in New York, I was bombarded with the immense diversity the city has to offer. I tried my first Indian food cart, saw people from cultures I had only...
I Wonder if I’m the Mongoose
The SelfI Wonder if I'm the MongooseBy JoliAmour DuBose-MorrisAn essay from "Perennial Song" Mongoose Sale “Buy a Mongoose Today! They’ll change your life,” an ad on Craigslist said. From where? East Village. It’s a rare creature, so it can’t be purchased on Jamaica...
(re)collection
The Village(re)collectionBy Flor KhanA shortlisted essay from "Perennial Song" Bismillah– I enter the mosque with my right foot, a sign of respect and humility, following the example of the Prophet Muhammed Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam This is a place of worship, a...
oprah tried to kill me
The Selfoprah tried to kill meBy k thompson when oprah and her goonsa mob of strangers anduniformed cops, came rushingtowards me, i swung at themwith all my might.my mind was miles awayfrom the truth, unaware that in reality,i was standing in a walgreens parking...
The Keys to Lesbian Camp
The SelfThe Keys to (Lesbian) CampBy Tiffany HarrisFrom "Beyond the Margin: An Exploration of Black Lesbian Identity" “I get that it’s a gay thing, but do you really need to wear your keys on your belt to a job interview?” my mother asked, gesturing to the carabiner...
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