submissions

thank you for considering boats against the current as a home for your work! we are now accepting poetry submissions for issue III – our third print issue.

issue III is a physical print issue that will be published in December 2026. poems accepted for publication in issue III will also be published online on our website in 2027. the submission window will be open from September 1 until November 1, 2026.

there is no theme for issue III, so we welcome poetry about any topic. a few things to keep in mind, though: 

• we are a liberal, atheist, woman-run organization

• above all, we aim to publish the works of women, LGBTQIA+ poets, and poetry that portrays the experiences and voices of historically underrepresented individuals

• content that includes anything racist, homophobic, or sexist will not be accepted for publication

• poetry about spirituality and spiritual experiences is welcome; however, we are not interested in publishing poems about organized religion, unless it is about deconstruction

here are some specific guidelines:

• email your submission to us @ editor@boatsagainstthecurrent.org  

• the subject line must read “first name last name issue III poetry submission” 

• in a Word Document or Google Doc (please no PDFs), include:

  • 1-5 poems

  • your name and email address

  • a brief third-person bio

• please only submit previously unpublished poetry (this includes social media and personal blogs)

• simultaneous submissions are allowed, but you must email us immediately (within the same email thread as your original submission) and withdraw your submission if it gets accepted elsewhere

• we are not charging a reading fee for issue III, so unfortunately we are not able to offer free author copies  

• we will respond to every submission by November 15, 2026. if you have not heard from us by then, feel free to follow up by sending another email (in your original submission email thread)

thank you, and we look forward to reading your poetry!