Type Of Organization
Gravity-form, Magazine-press
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
Who is to say what is literary? In our minds, if it is a story and it is well-written, it’s literature. But we find that stories considered “genre” are often deemed to be a different universe than literary fiction. Is it possible to have a literary werewolf? Would he have to wear a tuxedo and enunciate like Lord Mountbatten before he is considered literary? Can a witch be literary? Only if she goes to Harvard? We dislike the idea that literary fiction really means boring fiction, and that it is somehow valued more than anything with a teaspoon of imagination to it. Borda Books/ Santa Barbara Literary Journal is staffed by improbable characters, all of us volunteers, and improbable characters are welcome in the stories we print, as long as they are well written. There *is* such a thing as bad writing, but for the most part, writing is subjective. There are as many voices and styles in this world as there are pens to ink them. Our press is a means by which to give voice to a small fraction of those stories. Given that we're all writers here, I may as well add Tom Waits' assertion that "We're all mad as hatters here."
Social Media Platforms Used
IG, FB, Twitter
Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
no
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Angela Borda
Submissions Policy
This is our current submissions page for the literary journal. Although hopefully this will convert over to being on Submittable, and will be for both stories for the journal as well as novels.
SBLJ Submission guidelines We accept short stories under 5,000 words. We will consider one short story per author per submission period. Poets may submit up to three poems per submission period. Please only submit to one genre per submission period. We do not accept memoir. Lyrics are by invitation only. We publish two issues yearly in print. Your submission should include:
1. A short (3-4 sentence) biographical paragraph explaining who you are as an author. Include any websites/social media.
2. Let us know the total word count and the genre (if it defies genre, note that too). We aim to respond within six weeks, although it is not always possible. Authors retain all rights to their work; we simply ask that you not publish it elsewhere during the first six months the Lit Jo issue is out. Who can send us work? Everyone. Anyone. We read all work with hopes of finding a masterpiece, and we select work solely on the basis of craft. You do not have to live in Santa Barbara to be published in the journal, but let us know if you're local. We accept simultaneous submissions but let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere. If we have accepted a story from you, please wait a year before you submit another. You are welcome to submit short essays, song lyrics, or interview proposals with notable authors in-between.
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
Yes
Submission Guidelines URL
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted
yes
Reading Period
Year round
Reporting Time
weeks
Year Founded
2018
Number Of Issues Per Year
1
Back Issues Available
yes
Unsolicited Manuscripts Accepted
yes
Format
perfect
Publish Print Anthology?
yes
Gravity-form Magazine-press
