Poetry
Please submit 1-5 poems through Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are OK. We give serious consideration to every submission, whether or not we are familiar with the author's work, and respond as quickly as possible. Understand that this is a subjective business; if your work isn't selected, it's not the end of the world (though as writers ourselves, we understand that it can feel that way).
In terms of style, our bias tends toward lyrical narrative poetry, though we're definitely willing to read whatever--so long as it's your best work! In other words, think of your poems less as sermons and more as snapshots. They can be shocking, serene, heartbreaking, elegant, savage, narrative, surreal--or all of the above.
Here are some poets we like, just to give you another hint as to what we're looking for: James Wright, Tony Hoagland, Stephen Dobyns, Bob Hicok, Dorianne Laux, Sharon Olds, Mary Biddinger, Djelloul Marbrook, Charles Simic, Billy Collins, Jeannine Hall Gailey, James Valvis, Peter Davis, Elton Glaser, Rodney Jones, Allison Joseph, Donal Hall and many, many more.
What we DON'T like: poems that tell instead of show, that substitute shock value for depth or intellect for feeling, or that force a certain limited interpretation or philosophy on the reader rather than allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions.
In terms of style, our bias tends toward lyrical narrative poetry, though we're definitely willing to read whatever--so long as it's your best work! In other words, think of your poems less as sermons and more as snapshots. They can be shocking, serene, heartbreaking, elegant, savage, narrative, surreal--or all of the above.
Here are some poets we like, just to give you another hint as to what we're looking for: James Wright, Tony Hoagland, Stephen Dobyns, Bob Hicok, Dorianne Laux, Sharon Olds, Mary Biddinger, Djelloul Marbrook, Charles Simic, Billy Collins, Jeannine Hall Gailey, James Valvis, Peter Davis, Elton Glaser, Rodney Jones, Allison Joseph, Donal Hall and many, many more.
What we DON'T like: poems that tell instead of show, that substitute shock value for depth or intellect for feeling, or that force a certain limited interpretation or philosophy on the reader rather than allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions.