Beyond the Margins.
A Graduate Journal of Literary Scholarship
University of New Orleans

Beyond the Margins is a new annual, online, blind peer-reviewed journal, housed at the University of New Orleans, dedicated to furthering diversity in academia through the publication of graduate student scholarship in the field of English, with a focus on literary and textual studies. The journal's aim is twofold: to broaden opportunities for graduate student scholars to contribute to academic conversations and to provide a platform for alternative forms of scholarship.

Beyond the Margins welcomes submissions from currently enrolled graduate students at the Master's and Ph.D. level in the form of critical essays, reviews of contemporary scholarly books (published by university or trade presses), pedagogical articles, archival discoveries (including introduction and explanatory notes), and hybrid genres (such as autobiographical criticism). Students from Historically Black Colleges/Universities, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions are especially encouraged to submit. 

Each issue of Beyond the Margins will also focus on a special theme that pushes beyond the boundaries of what is already known or assumed, although submissions on other topics are welcome as well. The theme of the second issue is "Beyond the Silenced: Activism & Political Discourse in Literary Fiction." We envision publishing a cluster of essays, archival discoveries, or other pieces that help us to recognize and analyze the literary fictional works of Black and/or Indigenous authors and people of color from Asia, Africa, Europe, and/or the Americas (BIPOC). We are looking for critical works that take new approaches, examine BIPOC writers from a wide variety of backgrounds, and consider their experiences in both well-represented and underrepresented parts of the globe. Papers may consider such questions as the following, although other approaches are certainly welcome:

• How have activism and political discourse been represented within literary fiction? Are there underrepresented topics and groups within that arena?

• What is the meaning of survival and/or of freedom for various BIPOC writers and Black and Indigenous people and/or people of color in general? How does this shape BIPOC literary content? What literary styles/ modes do BIPOC writers employ? 

• How has activism on behalf of BIPOC impacted the writing and art of these groups of people in various parts of the world? How has it affected interpretation of Indigenous writing from various eras? 

• How have the daily lives of BIPOC been shaped by the modern world, and in what ways does this affect their communication in speaking, writing, etc.?

Submissions, except for reviews, should be 5,000 to 7,500 words, double-spaced, in .doc format, and follow the 8th edition of the MLA style guide. Reviews should be 1,000 words. Submissions will be accepted at http://scholarworks.uno.edu/beyondthemarginsjournal, the journal's website. All submissions must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Due to the journal's blind editorial review process, submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter with the title of the paper, author’s name, and a brief bio. Do not include the author's name on the paper itself. Please also provide a one-paragraph abstract.

Beyond the Margins does not accept creative submissions, such as short stories, poems, or creative non-fiction.

Submissions will be accepted until February 14, 2022. 

The Faculty Advisor of Beyond the Margins is Dr. Elizabeth Steeby, and the Managing Editors for the second issue are Dominique Smiley  and Josee Vaughn, graduate students in English at the University of New Orleans. Questions should be directed to unobeyondthemargins@gmail.com.