boats against the current is a print and online poetry magazine, established in 2021. Although they accept poetry on any topic, they do have some favorite themes: “Content about art, nature, introspection, loss, relationships (including friendships), healing, the universe, grief, and vulnerability is particularly welcome.” You can read the journal’s online content to get a sense of what they publish.
So far, boats against the current has published two print issues, alongside online content that’s released on a rolling basis. They also publish chapbooks.
Right now they are accepting submissions for online publication, which will be released throughout the year. They are also accepting chapbook submissions, which will be printed during the summer of 2025. They are not currently accepting submissions for their print journal, but they plan post details about the submission period for issue three of their print journal later this year.
For online publication, poets may submit one to five poems. Submitting poets can expect a response within three months. They do not accept previously published poems for online publication, but they do accept simultaneous submissions. When sending simultaneous submissions, authors should notify the editors if any poems in the submission are published elsewhere.
For chapbook publication, poets may submit 10 to 20 poems that are connected by a theme. They do accept previously published poems within chapbooks, as long as the poet has permission from the original publisher, and they also accept simultaneous submissions. Authors submitting chapbooks can expect a response within one month.
boats against the current accepts submissions via email, not online or by post. They only accept submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online, so please read these guidelines in full before submitting.
If you would like to learn more or submit to boats against the current, please visit their website here.
Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.
