Submit to Unbordered: Issues 05 & 06
While we put the finishing touches on Issue 04, here's what we're thinking about next
Coming soon: Issue 04 of Unbordered is coming out on August 3rd, and we can’t wait for you to read it! But in the meantime, we want to share some prompts for our next two issues of the magazine. If you’re an American living abroad, the the staff of Unbordered invites you to submit to Issues 05 and 06.
Issue 05: Thresholds (Deadline: October 1, 2026)
A threshold is an in-between place, a place where you don’t know what awaits you on the other side. It’s the moment before the door opens and the last look back at your loved ones before getting on the plane. Issue 05 invites essays, nonfiction, poetry, and art that sit with these in-between moments. Tell us what you carried across and what you’re leaving behind.
Not sure where to start? Try one of these:
Write about the last ordinary moment
Describe a word or phrase you can only say in one language and what is missing in translation.
Make a piece of art about something you carried with you that you didn’t expect to need.
Issue 06: Seasons (Deadline: January 31, 2027)
Time moves differently when you leave. Summer no longer smells the same. You find yourself grieving October and the way it felt on your skin. Holiday celebrations are upside down, the climate all wrong in a new hemisphere. But over time, with enough turns of the Earth around the sun, you begin to build new associations. You begin to redefine what a season means to you. For Issue 06, Unbordered is looking for essays, nonfiction, poetry, and art that explore both the literal and figurative seasons of a life lived abroad.
Not sure where to start? Try one of these:
Choose one of the four seasons. What comes to mind when you think of it? Is that how you experience it now? Where are the differences? The pain points?
Describe a holiday or seasonal tradition you tried to keep alive abroad, and what happened to it.
What season were you in emotionally when you left — and what season are you in now?
For submission guidelines, word counts, and formats, visit our submissions page.
We’re so grateful for this community, and we can’t wait to read what you send us!