The Blue Route Undergraduate Literary Journal

About

Widener University’s online journal of undergraduate writing takes its name from the Blue Route (I-476), a north-south highway running through the suburbs of Philadelphia.
The Blue Route is an online undergraduate literary journal run by students and faculty from Widener University. We publish short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction written by undergraduate writers from any school other than our own. There is a great deal of emerging talent in the undergraduate population, and we aim to showcase that talent in our journal.

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to undergraduate students.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2009

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

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Collapse section Fiction Open

We want good, highly imaginative writing about contemporary life as you see it. We’re not interested in genre writing (romance, detective, horror, sci-fi) unless it somehow rises above the conventions associated with those types of writing. If your writing is clichéd, inspired by TV, emphasizes end rhyme above all else, has flat characters, exhibits a general insensitivity to the beauties and subtleties of language, it will not find a place in this journal.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 70 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 3,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $25.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 70 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $25.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 15 November 2026* (approx. 70 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under US$5 per poem) to Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $25.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

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The Blue Route Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

We have not received any submission reports for this listing in the past 12 months.

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Dates

Last Updated: 20 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.