A. What to submit
- A poem inspired by a public event/news, which could be local or global in nature that occurred in the last two weeks in the “Your Poem” section of the submission form.
- Include a brief explanation as to what the poem is about in the “About the Poem” section of the submission form.
- Include the web link of the article/news (preferrably that does not require a subscription to view) that inspired your work in the “URL/weblink of the news article” section of the submission form.
- Include the name of the country that is relevant to the news/event. In case, the news is not specific to a country, mention global in the “Country” section of the submission form.
- Submit previously unpublished work only. Please do not send us work that has appeared elsewhere on the internet (including social media) or in print.
- Include a few lines about yourself written in the third person in the “About the Author” section of the submission form.
- You may attach an optional grayscale/black & white image (photo, artwork, etc.) to go with the poem. If you decide you send an image, please attribute it appropriately. In absence of a submitted image, Topical Poetry may include an image of its choice with the selected poem.
B. What not to submit
- Do not send overtly obscene, hateful, or objectionable content.
- Do not send content that you do not have the rights to.
- We find poems that perpetuate violence, sexism, racism, negative stereotypes, or ignorance unpleasing.
- We do not need any cover letter or your publication history – only your words matter to us.
C. Who can submit
Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or religious affiliation.
D. Where to submit
Submit here.
E. Format
There is no constraint on the form of poetry, but we ask you to keep the poem within 750 words.
F. How Many
There is no restriction on the number of poems that you can submit but send us only your best.
G. Simultaneous Submission
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but we ask that you please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
H. Post Submission
- You should receive an on-screen confirmation message “Thank you for the submission. We will revert shortly” upon submission through the submission manager. If you do not receive one, please send your submission to contact@topicalpoetry.com and let us know.
- Please allow up to seven days for a response. We will do our best to get back before this. If you do not hear back from us after this time, please feel free to contact us again. We will respond to all submissions.
- We regrettably cannot give individual feedback on submitted poems.
We’re looking forward to your best work. Send it via our online submission manager.
Happy submitting!