Chronycles began in January 2024 as an experiment by Kunle Adebajo and KÁNYIN Olorunnisola, originally called Japa Chronicles. The goal? To capture the full spectrum of life in the diaspora — the extraordinary, the mundane, and everything in between.
We’re still on that journey, but we’ve widened our lens.
At Chronycles, we document the oddly specific, the deeply personal, and stories that linger long after they’re told. We do this in two main ways:
- First, by publishing real-life experiences in the words of the people who lived them. Think: migration, work, love, family, conflict, culture — all as told from the horse’s mouth.
- Second, by asking public-interest journalism to loosen its tie. We empower writers to chase what fascinates them personally. Those strange questions, niche memories, or quiet epiphanies, which often end up revealing something bigger.
Our Mission
We want to celebrate random human experiences, those that make us feel as much as they make us think. We believe personal stories deserve the spotlight, no matter how niche, messy, or mundane, because that’s where truth often hides. We value vulnerability over polish and questions over conclusions. We welcome voices from across the globe, especially those who don’t usually see their stories reflected in mainstream media.
Our Publications
We offer three kinds of stories:
- Snippets: Short, sharp first-person accounts, usually under 500 words. They might be submitted by the person involved or curated by someone else. Sometimes they stand alone; sometimes they come in themed series.
- Memoirs: Longer personal narratives, two to three times the length of a snippet. These dive deeper into a particular episode, emotion, or journey.
- Features: These are journalism-style pieces where the writer embarks on a pursuit of wonder fueled by uncommon curiosity and sets out to answer a specific question no one else has lost sleep over.
Want to share your story or pitch an idea? Click here to find out how to contribute.