For so many, New Orleans is defined by Mardi Gras, nonstop adventure, music, and magic. As new Editor-in-Chief of the University of New Orleans’s literary journal, Ellipsis, Jax Borukhovich declares that it’s a bit of both. Born and raised in Champaign, Illinois, and a graduate of the prestigious University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Creative Writing Workshop (CWW), the graduate student stumbled upon the literary realm of the Crescent City in a haphazard way. Having been previously published in Sonder Midwest and Metafore Mag, Borukhovich claims that UNO was the only writing program that accepted them but the deal wasn’t too shabby—Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown and nationally recognized poet Skye Jackson are amongst the CWW set who continue to rise into international acclaim.
“I had never really moved away from my hometown until coming to New Orleans in 2019. I applied to UNO after visiting New Orleans on vacation with my family and I fell in love with the city. UNO was the only MFA program that I got into, so maybe it was fate that I ended up here,” Borukhovich explains.
“I’ve been writing since I can remember. In fifth grade I wrote a story about a girl finding a sea turtle hatchling (inspired by true events), and wrote stories about dragons and elves and fantasy worlds all throughout middle school. In high school, I had a creative writing assignment for an English class, and after turning it in, my teacher told me my story was one of her favorites that she’d read and that I had a gift. That was when I realized that maybe I was sort of good at writing and that it was really the only thing I ever truly wanted to do with my life. One of my earliest inspirations was Cornelia Funke, who wrote the Inkheart series and Dragon Rider. She taught me what magic books hold inside of them, and I wanted to create that magic in my own writing.”
Like New Orleans literary giants Tennessee Williams, Anne Rice, and Truman Capote before them, Borukhovich cites the deep magic of the city as one of their principal inspirations. “In undergrad, I wasn’t allowed to write genre fiction, and while I’m proud of some of the work I did during those years, I don’t think it was really me. Since being in New Orleans, I’ve really discovered who I truly am, and what I want my writing to say and do for others. A lot of what I’ve learned about myself here has made its way into my writing, and I’m thankful for my time here.”
Ellipsis, the lit journal for which they now serve as EIC, was started at UNO in 1972. It was formerly run by UNO English department staff such as Reggie Poche. “In 2021, Abram Himelstein and Jeanne Pavy started a class where students could basically take control of the next issue, after the journal was on hiatus for about three years. We came up with the theme for the issue, read through all the submissions, chose the cover art, and basically took the issue from conception to print. It was a really cool opportunity, and this year, Abram asked me to be the Editor for Issue 47 which I was thrilled to be able to do.”
Currently Ellipsis is accepting submissions of writing (poetry and prose) and artwork that showcases what the University of New Orleans community has to offer. “With Issue 47 of Ellipsis, I really hope to create a collection of writing and art that showcases the diverse voices across the UNO campus. I want each piece to mean something to at least one person, to make readers feel heard or seen or related to, or even teach someone something new. I want to share these stories with the world, and give new writers or artists on campus a chance to have their voices heard. I want to show what it means to be creating in New Orleans during this time, and give readers an escape from the real world, if only for a moment.”
Borukhovich says they look to ensure writing fits with the journal’s purpose of showcasing the creative work of the UNO community and contributes to the fields of art, literature, and ideas through diverse voices. It accepts fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short scripts, art, and photography.
The editor-in-chief states, “We want writing that tells a cohesive story, that has clear and engaging characters and carries the reader through beginning, middle, and end. We want the reader to feel grounded in the story or poem and where it takes place. We want the piece to be clean, free of any major grammatical or spelling errors, so that we as readers and editors feel like the writer is confident in their own work. All pieces that we accept must be free of any harmful ideas or hate speech against any marginalized group.”
The deadline to submit for Ellipsis is March 7, 2022. It is open only to University of New Orleans students, alumni (which include OffBeat’s own Editrix-in-Chief Jan Ramsey), and staff. To submit, click here. Follow Jax Borukhovich UNO Ellipsis editor’s adventures in New Orleans @apple.jax_13 via Instagram or on Twitter @jcborukh.
Editorial disclosure: The author is also currently a graduate student and instructor in the British literature MA program at UNO.
