Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review is Seeking Poetry, Visual Art, and Essays
Author: Edit Team
May 17, 2020
Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review is open for submissions to Issue 53 from April 20th-July 19th
ISSUE 53 Theme: PROMISE
Poetry | Essays | Reviews | Art
FROM SAÚL HERNÁNDEZ, MANAGING EDITOR:
“In the early 2000s, the iconic all-girl group 3LW sang, “I’m getting a little tired of your broken promises, promises…” from their single “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right).” We ventured into 2020, making political, societal, and self-promises, only for COVID-19 to hit. Truth is–we are tired.
As we move forward into this year, the commitments we have made to ourselves, society, and the world have been redefined by this global pandemic. For Issue 53, we want your best poems. Poems that speak to broken promises. Promises redefined by the absence of freedom of movement. Promises as complex as the shape of our borders. The promises that we’ve made to ourselves and to our families, the boundaries we hoped to never have to cross–why do they matter?
No matter what truce we made with one another or with ourselves, one thing is certain: our words will always have an impact. Above all, we are interested in great poetry that moves us!
ABOUT BORDERLANDS: TEXAS POETRY REVIEW:
Founded in 1992, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review was created as a response to the Gulf War and is a literary journal based in Austin, Texas. We publish poetry, visual art, book reviews, and essays. Our journal continues to garner a national readership, distributed across the US, with contributors from all over the world.
Our journal seeks outwardly-directed poetry that exhibits social, political, geographical, historical, or spiritual awareness.
We are open to traditional and experimental forms, including visual forms. We encourage people from all backgrounds to submit work to Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, but aim to highlight historically unrepresented voices including people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, nonbinary or trans individuals, and people with disabilities.
Over the last 27 years, contributors to our journal have won National Book Awards, Guggenheims, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, Pushcart Prizes, the Williams Carlos Williams Award, the Shelley Memorial Award, Lanannan Foundation Awards, Whiting Awards, and many more. In 2020 and beyond, contributors will be nominated for national contests including the Pushcart Prize, Best New Poets, Texas Poet Laureate, Best of Net, and other qualifying opportunities.
Previous contributors include: Rigoberto Gonzalez, Cyrus Cassells, Naomi Shihab-Nye, Carmen Giminez-Smith, Tama Baldwin, Joe Jimenez, Mario Susko, Octavio Quintanilla, James Hoggard, Walter McDonald, Karla K. Morton, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Kelle Groom, Khaled Mattawa, Alex Lemon, sam sax, Oliver de la Paz, David M. Parsons, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Carol Coffee Reposa, Carrie Fountain, Shara Lessley, and more.
Visit us at www.borderlands.org to learn about our submissions process!
