Decorative Element
Literary Magazine · Est. 2025
"The river tells me: / you are never whole— / only a congregation of ghosts / that refuse to drown."
— an excerpt from Where the River Meets the Threshold by Joshua Walker

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About

ندیا کنارے – on the river's edge, where the current carves new paths through ancient stone.

River’s Edge is a literary magazine dedicated to discovering and showcasing original voices that explore the boundaries between the known and unknown.

Like the edge of a river—where land meets water, and stillness meets motion—we embrace writing that dwells in transition, evokes reflection, and stirs transformation.

We publish fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid works that challenge convention or use established forms with modern reinterpretation. We look for works that celebrate diversity and invite readers to linger in the in-between.

We believe in amplifying voices historically silenced—those navigating the complexities of identity, culture, gender, race, and belonging.

Whether you're a first-time writer or a seasoned one, River’s Edge is your shoreline.

We especially welcome

  • Writers of color and Indigenous storytellers
  • Immigrants, diasporic writers, those living between languages
  • Women, nonbinary, LGBTQ+ writers and creatives
  • Men committed to allyship and equity in the arts​

We are here to bolster new and emerging writers, to publish the work that doesn’t fit the mold, and to build a community that listens deeply.


For all who have ever stood at the edges, waiting—this is your invitation to step into the current.

@riversedge.litmag

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Founder & Editor
Sadia Ansari
Sadia is a writer, mother, and by profession a consultant specializing in user experience & enablement. She is passionate about writing on diaspora, immigrant experience, and firmly believes in the power of women’s economic independence. Her editorial vision centers identity, with a particular interest in writing that challenges both form and worldviews. Committed to fostering an inclusive and engaged literary community, she believes in literature as both art and conversation. Sadia most recently published in RockPaperPoem and will be in the forthcoming issue of Gut Punch Literary Journal. She is rooted in Southern California and is currently working on her collection of poetry.
Founder & Editor
Leyda Mar
Leyda Mar is a psychotherapist by trade, and also a mother and writer. Her lived and professional experiences call her to amplify the voices stilled by a system built to ignore them. Having grown up in the 90’s as a Mexican immigrant when it wasn’t cool to speak Spanish or eat tacos, she knows what it’s like to hide in plain sight. She now shares her love of Juan Gabriel unapologetically with her children and husband as a way to remember the Spanish she’s almost forgotten. Leyda is in the process of editing an untitled chapbook of her own work that focuses on intergenerational trauma, motherhood, and immigration.
Editor
Christopher M. Wegemer
Chris is a teacher, researcher, and writer. He lives on the corner of idealism and realism, finding sanctuary in stories that illuminate the human condition. For two decades, he has worked alongside young people in activist and artistic communities, who have demonstrated the power of creative expression to cultivate personal and social change. His poetry explores meaning, love, and awe in the gravity and grace of chronic illness.

Submissions

We are currently closed for submissions. We seek work that exists on thresholds — between cultures, genres, silence and sound.

Guidelines

  • We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid works that challenge convention or use established forms with modern reinterpretations.
  • Attach your written work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file, with a 12-point font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia. Visual and cine poetry can also be submitted, often in .png, .jpg, .mp4, or .m4v formats.
  • Prompt Poems may be announced and will be considered as an acceptable fourth poetry submission
  • Poetry: Up to 3 poems per submission, maximum 6 pages total
  • Micro-memoir and other Creative Nonfiction (~1,000 words)
  • Personal Essays (~2000 words)
  • Short Fiction (~2,500 words)
  • Flash Fiction (~300 words)
  • Art & Photography submissions also accepted, please include a page or two on your work
  • Music or Video while these are not a focus, submissions may be considered for our social media and website
  • Multiple submissions are allowed, however, please do not exceed more than two genres.
  • Simultaneous submissions accepted; notify us immediately if accepted elsewhere
  • Previously unpublished work only
  • Include a brief bio: we want to know how the intersection of your identity and experience informs your work.
  • If you have a piece that you strongly feel aligns to what we are looking for, but is longer than the guidelines, send us a sample that fits the length, along with a brief description of the rest of the work. We might work with you to consider the entire piece, break it into parts for future issues, or publish the sample as it is.
  • We do not promote hate speech and reserve the right not to respond to correspondence that is racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc.
Reading Period: TBD
Response Time: 8–12 weeks
Payment: We are unable to offer payment at this time, but we hope to in the future as we grow. Contributors receive a contributor copy of the issue their work appears in.
Submit to submissions@riversedgelitmag.com