It’s that time of year again, Lions. That’s right, bordertown is looking for new content for the 2019 publication.

Every year bordertown puts their focus on a different theme. This year, the focus is exploring the Unknown.

Student editors of bordertown are looking for the following content: poetry, short story fiction, non-fiction essays, literary translations, artwork and academic essays. 

Any work that puts an emphasis on this year’s theme will be considered for publication.

Current faculty, staff and students are eligible to submit their original pieces until the deadline on Wednesday, Oct. 31. 

Jenny Ferguson, visiting assistant professor of English asks work submitted be proofread, and be what the creator considers his or her best work. 

“I’ve heard competition is quite stiff so there are a lot of good entries that we will get,” Ferguson said. “We can’t print them all. 

“It’s always your best bet to put your best face forward.”

Work is submitted anonymously. Ferguson takes the time to remove names from pieces submitted so bordertown’s student editors pick selections without knowing who created it. 

Once he deadline is reached, the editors will determine which pieces are the best as well as which pieces coincide with the Unknown theme.

Some students may not exactly know which direction to turn when it comes to exploring the Unknown and creating a masterpiece.

“That’s the fun part about a theme,” Ferguson said. “You get to figure out what the theme means for you.”

She said some ways to think about the theme is to consider what’s “unknown to someone else” or “the limits of the Unknown.”

“There’s so much we don’t know,” said Ferguson. 

bordertown’s theme of exploring the Unknown is also partnering with the Literature Lives week. This week will feature the book about Robinson Crusoe’s misadventures of being a shipwrecked man, putting a focus towards being in an unknown land and culture. 

Ferguson had words of encouragement for students who may be on the fence about submitting their work.

“Send us submissions. We are excited to be reading submissions and bordertown doesn’t exist without participation from the MSSU family,” she said. “No one should be embarrassed or worried about their artwork or writing. No one should be afraid to submit.”

bordertown is set to be published the first week of March 2019. For more information, or to submit a creative work by the midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 31, persons interested may [email protected] or visit /www.facebook.com/mssubordertown.