Border Crossing
There are presently no open calls for submissions.
The annual reading period for our 2024 issue will be October 15–February 1. Periodically, we close early, if we exceed the allowable number of submissions for each month. If this happens, please check back soon at the beginning of the following month or our next reading period, when we will reopen. To receive reminders about upcoming reading periods and contests, please add us on facebook or Instagram.
We’re especially interested in writing that crosses boundaries in genre or geography, and voices that aren’t often heard in mainstream publications. The best way to see what we mean by this is to read our latest issue online. All of our submissions go through a rigorous editorial board process. We consider ourselves a “teaching journal,” in that one of our main goals is to give LSSU English and creative writing students editing and publishing opportunities prior to graduation. Every year, student interns read alongside faculty editors as part of the full editorial board.
We accept submissions of original, unpublished work via Submittable during our official reading period only. Submissions emailed, mailed, or sent outside of our reading period will not be read. Any submission that fully engages with AI must include documentation, and a clear distinction between human and AI elements in the work. Writing generated entirely by using AI will not be accepted.
Please follow the guidelines for each genre. Please note that we do not accept multiple submissions in a single genre during our reading periods, unless you are specifically invited to resubmit by the editors. Because we are allowed only a set number of submissions per month, we discourage writers from withdrawing and resubmitting. Rather than withdrawing, please feel free to attach a message to your submission. Repeated withdrawals may force us to close our reading period early. For writers who have been previously published in Border Crossing, please wait one year after publication before submitting again. Also please note that the editors may make minor copyedits to your work upon acceptance.
In your cover letter, please include an email address that you regularly check and a brief biography of about fifty words. We do accept simultaneous submissions; however, please return to the submission manager and, using the “Messages” tab, add a message to your submission in Submittable indicating which part of your submission was accepted elsewhere.
Response time is roughly 6-9 months. At this time, we are not able to offer payment to all authors. However, with volume 5, our first online issue, we began featuring selected authors. Every year, after all of the work in each genre has been accepted, one author may be chosen for a paid feature. Featured authors receive prominent placement in the online journal, a published interview with the editors, and a $100 honorarium.