POETRY SUBMISSIONS CALENDAR
Update January 29, 2024
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Do you ever hop out of bed and tell yourself, “I’m going to send a poem to an editor today and see if they’ll publish it!” And then do you fire up your computer, open email, and discover a form letter from the journal you sent poems to six months ago that begins, “Thank you for the opportunity to read your work, but . . .”
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O creative one, O seeker of inspiration and truth, take heart. There’s got to be a perfect fit for your lines somewhere if only you can discover it. Continue to cast more of your babies out into the storm and, if you’re fortunate, perhaps someday you will receive a word of encouragement like this one. This editor had rejected my submission but his message seemed personal rather than rote, so I dared to ask if any of my poems came near the mark:
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You certainly meet the mark, Bill. That is, you’re a fine writer. As are most of Innisfree’s submitters. Who knows what causes a poem to leap out and insist on its acceptance to the reader. That happens about 2 percent of the time. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future. [Greg McBride, editor, Innisfree Poetry Journal, December 2023]
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So I will hop out of bed on some more mornings and be glad to tie myself to the railroad tracks of submission (such a fraught word). Hmm, let’s see . . . who is open to submissions today?
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One way to answer that question is to scroll through this calendar I’ve prepared for you:
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Here’s how I use this calendar:
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It’s arranged by month – look down the column to see what journals and sources are open for submissions right now!
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Each row includes the web address – be sure to check before you submit, because requirements are always changing!
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The row also includes other information such as:
Is this an online publication only?
Should my submission be a single document?
What file formats do they accept?
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There are more instructions on the table itself. Feel free to print it out. The table currently (29 Jan 2024) contains 316 listings, including journals on hold or defunct (to save wild goose chases). At the end are some random references I’ve collected, a table of winners and losers on promptness of reply, and a few journals accepting art & photography. I would really appreciate it if you notify me of any errors or suggested changes!
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If you have journals you’d like me to add to the table please do send me the particulars! I will try to post an updated table once or twice a year and whenever I have made significant additions and corrections to the table.
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Enjoy!
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And if you find this useful or discover errors please send me a comment, correction or suggestions for additional journal entries at:
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comments@griffinpoetry.com
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BILL GRIFFIN — January 29, 2024
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Oh, and here’s the origin story: In 2015 I posted the prototype of this table as I was developing a tool to keep track of when and where to submit poems for publication. As the second of a two-part muse on why oh why we place ourselves at the mercy of all powerful editors, here’s the original post with description:
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I’ve used your submission form for years and am so grateful for your doing this!
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Thanks for letting me know, Debra. I’m humbled. –B
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From John York . . .
Bill:
Thanks for your submission calendar! A few suggestions:
Gettysburg Review is no more, killed off by college administrators.
Cold Mountain Review is in flux.This is what their Submittable page currently says: Submissions will be accepted here from October 1 to November 15 annually.
Finally, have you heard of Appalachian Places?
https://www.appalachianplaces.org/post/poetry-kari-gunter-seymour-catherine-hamrick-jessica-cory-rene%C3%A9-critcher-lyons-john-thomas-york
Keep on truckin’!
John
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