Six Poetry Journals Looking for Submissions

By Alec Witthohn

 

It’s April, and National Poetry Month is in full swing. There are plenty of ways to celebrate from attending readings to sharing poems with your friends and family or seeking out a new book of poetry to take home from your local bookseller. However, one of the best ways to contribute to the poetic community is by submitting your poems.

We understand how difficult it can be to find new publications and submit your work. That’s why, in honor of National Poetry Month, we’ve compiled a list of six poetry-focused publications accepting submissions now!

 

1. Sugar House Review

An independent nonprofit publisher dedicated to poetry, Sugar House Review has a young but impressive pedigree, having begun in 2009. Headed by Katherine Indermaur and Nano Taggart, Sugar House Review’s approach to publishing is both collaborative and features a wide range of styles. They’re also notable for their community outreach and collaboration. Sugar House Review has worked with “churches, bookstores, art galleries, advocacy groups, grant makers, coffee shops, schools, universities, individual artists,” and more.

At the moment, free general submissions are only open to current subscribers. However, anyone can submit to the magazine’s “Sugar Suites” multimedia publication. They may also submit their traditional work as a “Fast-track Poetry Submission” for a small fee, which promises a response “in 60 days or less” and a free digital issue of the publication.

Fast-track Poetry:

  • Up to 5 poems
  • $3.75 submission fee
  • Response in 60 days or less

Sugar Suites:

  • “Audio poems, video poems, or hybridized digital artifacts”
  • No fee

 

2. Conduit

Conduit is one of the quirkier magazines on our list. “A biannual literary journal that is at once direct, playful, inventive, irreverent, and darkly beautiful,” they’ve been publishing an impressive collection of established and emerging writers since 1993. In 2018, Conduit opened up its own book publishing division with Conduit Books & Ephemera, which publishes both the Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize and Minds on Fire Open Book Prize. Today, William D. Waltz is the “kindly czar” who calls himself Editor-in-Chief among the journal’s dedicated staff.

Poets can submit to the Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize until July 7th as well as the general poetry queue, which is open year-round. Future themes for upcoming issues include: “What in the World (Wonder) and Bad Connections (Fun of Forgetting).”

Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize:

  • 48-90 page manuscript
  • $25.00 fee
  • $1,500 grand prize

General Poetry Submissions:

  • 3-5 Poems
  • $3.00 fee

 

3. Poet Lore

Beginning in 1889, Poet Lore is the oldest poetry journal in the United States. Despite their imposing background they’ve published plenty of emerging poets right next to literary giants like Sharon Olds and Terrance Hayes. Poet Lore is headed by Emily Holland.

Poet Lore is currently open for general submissions until May 31st. They ask that poets submit only once per submission period with no more than five poems in a single document. See their website for full details.

General Poetry Submissions:

  • Up to 5 poems
  • No fee

 

4. Vallum

We’re confident that just about anyone’s first impression of Vallum: Contemporary Poetry should include the words “absolutely gorgeous.” Our only international journal on this list, Vallum is one of Canada’s top poetry journals; poems from the magazine have won Pushcart Prizes and appeared in Best Canadian Poetry anthologies. Joshua Auerbach edits this publication with the help of poetry editor Eleni (Helen) Zisimatos and managing editor and outreach program manager Jay Ritchie. Though they also publish essays, interviews, book reviews, and visual art, Vallum focuses primarily on new and inventive poetry.

Vallum is currently accepting general poetry submissions until May 15th and submissions to the Vallum Poetry Award until July 15th.

General Poetry Submissions:

  • Up to 7 pages
  • $3 fee

Vallum Poetry Award:

  • 1-3 poems—up to 6 pages
  • $30 international fee
  • $750 grand prize

 

5. 32 Poems

32 Poems is a more selective and minimalist poetry-only journal that, as the name suggests, publishes only thirty-two poems in every issue. The journal began in 2002, founded by Deborah Ager and John Poch, but has been led by George David Clark since 2011. By publishing only a small number of poems in every issue, the staff hopes to create a “more intensive” experience for readers. This minimalist style can also be seen in the poems themselves. 32 Poems tends to publish “shorter poems that fit on a single page…”

They are currently accepting submissions since they read (nearly) year-round. 32 Poems is known for a quick response time.

General Poetry Submissions:

  • Up to 5 poems
  • $3.00 fee

 

6. Bear Review

An online publication co-founded by editors and poets Marcus Myers and Brian Clifton, Bear Review is one of the smaller titles on our list. However, they have published some impressive work since 2014 and are now on their seventh volume, publishing two issues (fall and spring) every year. Bear Review looks for poetry that comes “alive on the page…and has something at stake.”

This journal accepts work year-round, asking for a short (200 word) bio and three to five poems. They do charge a standard fee to help keep the magazine running and contribute to their prize fund.

General Poetry Submissions:

  • 3-5 poems
  • $3.00 fee

Alec Witthohn is the Social Media Manager and an associate editor at the Center for Literary Publishing/Colorado Review. He is currently an MFA fiction candidate at Colorado State University. Before joining Colorado Review, Alec worked with Copper Nickel for several years as an assistant/associate editor.