Submit to The Poetry Journal

Submission Guidelines

• Eligibility: Anyone can make a submission.
• This is a one-time submission form, so you cannot return to edit it or re-submit a different form.
• We are ONLY accepting poetry for our third issue, which will be published in 2026.
• The maximum number of poems you can submit is 2, uploaded in a single Microsoft Word document.
• You MUST include your brief biography of no more than 300 words in the document alongside your submission. Please keep your biography simple and factual. Please avoid self-praise or exaggerated language.
• We generally do not reject work that has been published elsewhere. If we love it, we’ll publish it – but let us know where and when it was published when you submit.
• If your submission is selected for publication, you will be notified by email.

 

Length & Structure

We prioritise concise, disciplined poetry.

Each poem must fall within:

• 8–32 lines
• 60–250 words

Poems that exceed 32 lines or 250 words will not be considered.

We favour work that is controlled, focused, and efficient. If a poem needs more space, it is often a sign that it has not yet been edited enough.

 

Practical Rule of Thumb

Before submitting, ask:

• Can I remove 20–30% of this poem without losing meaning?
• Does every line add something new (image, turn, tension)?
• Does it end before it starts explaining itself?

If the answer to any of these is “no”, the poem likely needs more editing.

What We Seek

We seek poems that:

Explore the common and often overlooked moments of everyday life, human experiences, and motivations – in a creative and widely relatable way. Can you highlight small details and quiet insights within the ordinary or trivial lives of places, objects, or animals? We’d love to read your work.

We love poems that are engaging and entertaining, using wit and humour in their reflections. We appreciate irony and sarcasm. We’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again: we love humour, even in serious reflections. However, we love it best when it’s used like seasoning in food – don’t force it. After all, you wouldn’t cook a pot of rice with a cup of salt.

We appreciate poems that are simple, clear and unpretentious without being plain or one-dimensional. We prioritise accessibility over strict rules and traditions. We aren’t fans of purists or overly decorative and abstract writing.

We avoid heavy political, advocacy, or activist themes (such as social justice or identity). Instead, we focus on personal moments within shared human experiences. We almost always favour timeless human experiences over current issues. However, if you can make something small and human out of a current issue, we would consider publishing your work.

We don’t see ourselves as aiming to create social change through poetry. Instead, we have chosen the less noble path of celebrating the small insights of everyday life. We prefer writing that reminds us of what humans have in common (no matter how small) over what sets us apart (no matter how urgent). For example, we may not get excited about a poem for or against abortion rights, but we would publish one on the awkwardness that follows a child’s blunt honesty about an adult’s appearance.

We love original poems and fresh ideas. The only thing we dislike more than clichés is plagiarism. Please ensure the work you submit is entirely your own.

Final Note

We believe less is more.

The strongest poems are rarely the longest – they are the most precise.