Writers Needed:

What kind of work is Poetry looking for?
We examine all work received and accept that which seems best. We regret that the volume of submissions received and the small size of our staff do not permit us to give individual criticism.

“Founded in Chicago by Harriet Monroe in 1912, Poetry is the oldest monthly devoted to verse in the English-speaking world. Harriet Monroe’s “Open Door” policy, set forth in Volume I of the magazine, remains the most succinct statement of Poetry’s mission: to print the best poetry written today, in whatever style, genre, or approach. The magazine established its reputation early by publishing the first important poems of T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Marianne Moore, Wallace Stevens, H.D., William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, and other now-classic authors. In succeeding decades it has presented—often for the first time—works by virtually every major contemporary poet.... Read more at About Poetry Magazine”

Does Poetry accept previously published material?

No. We cannot consider anything that has been previously published or accepted for publication, anywhere, in any form. Work that has appeared online is considered to have been previously published and should not be submitted. We do not consider simultaneous submissions.

Does Poetry pay money?

Yes. Payment is made on publication at the rate of $10.00 per line (with a minimum payment of $300), and $150 per page of prose, for first serial rights. All rights will revert to the author upon publication. Authors will also receive two contributor copies of the issue in which their work appears.

How do I submit my work to Poetry?

We now have an online system for you to send us your work. It will securely send our editors your work and email you a confirmation that it has been received. To use the automated system, you need to have a Poetry account.

You can set up your account at https://submissions.poetrymagazine.org

Using this account you will be able to check the status of your submission at any time by going to our login page.

When you are ready to submit please visit our Submission Manager at https://submissions.poetrymagazine.org

What file types can I submit?

Please submit files in one of the following formats only:

• Word document (.doc) files
• Rich Text Format (.rtf) files

Please note that submissions are limited to 4 poems (1 file), and cannot exceed a total of 7.63 MB. Poems should be submitted in a single file, with poems separated by titles or page breaks. Please include all writer contact info on the first page of the submitted file.

When can I submit to Poetry?

We accept submissions year round. We ask that you do not make multiple submissions: please wait for a response to your submission before sending new work.

How soon can I expect to hear about my submission?

Out of respect for poets, we are doing everything we can to minimize response time. We will do our best to respond within 6-8 weeks from the day of receipt, but are sometimes slower in responding. Please be patient! It is our goal to make sure each submission gets a good read. Adhering to our single submission of 4 four poems or less at a time will help insure a timely response to your work.

Please ensure that you set your e-mail spam filter to allow mail from both poetryfoundation.org and poetrymagazine.org; otherwise notification regarding your submission may be marked as junk mail.

Do you still accept standard mail submissions?

Yes, we will continue to accept submissions through standard mail as well. Please send no more than 4 poems, totaling no more than 10 pages, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Poetry Editors
444 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 1850
Chicago, IL 60611-4034