Submissions are open for Zingara Poetry Review.
ZPR will feature work by a variety of different poets over the next year. Please take a look at the following categories. If none of the categories below fit, please consider submitting work for National Poetry Month in April when ZPR will be publishing a poem every day of the month.
August: Work by undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program (any discipline) or who have graduated within two years. CLOSED
September: Work by graduate students currently in a writing-related graduate program, including MFA, MA in English, etc. CLOSED
October: Work by indigenous people, particularly Native American.
November: International Writers (anyone who isn’t living, or wasn’t born, in the United States).
December: Poets over 50
January: New and unpublished poets (0-3 single publications, no books or chapbooks)
February: African American/Black American Poets
March: Women only please!
April: Poetry Month – a poem will be published every day this month so send your best work early!
May: Poets who live WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI
June: LGBTQ
July: Poets who live EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI
Guidelines:
- Send 1-3 previously unpublished poems of 40 lines of fewer in the body of an email, any style, any subject, to ZingaraPoet@gmail.com with the submission category (e.g. Undergraduate Student) as the subject of your email.
- Include a cover letter and brief professional biography of 50 words or fewer, also in the body of your email.
- Submissions are accepted year round.
- Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let me know immediately if submitted work is accepted elsewhere.
- Published poets receive bragging rights and the chance to share their work with a diverse and ever-growing audience.
- Submissions which do not follow these guidelines will be disregarded.
- If accepted work is later published elsewhere, please acknowledge that the piece first appeared in Zingara Poetry Review.
- There are no fees to submit, though you will be subscribed to the Zingara Poetry Review newsletter.
- Check Zingara Poetry Review every week to read new poems, which are normally published by 9:00am Eastern Time.
- Zingara Poetry Review retains first digital rights, though rights revert back to the poet upon publication.
What I look for in a poem:
Like all editors, I like to see interesting poems that do what they do well. Whether traditional, conceptual, lyrical, or formal, they should exhibit the poet’s clear understanding of craft and, just as importantly, revision. Very elemental poems that have not undergone effective revision will probably not make the cut. Likewise, poems which are contrived, sacrifice meaning for the sake of rhyme, feel incomplete, do not risk sentimentality (or are too sentimental), or lack tension when tension is needed, will also be dismissed. I am a fan of rich, vivid imagery, cohesive discursiveness, and surprising metaphors. Finally, poems which perpetuate harmful stereotypes of gender, race, or class will most certainly not be considered.
For a very good discussion on the elements of effective poetry, take a look at Slushpile Musings by James Swingle, publisher and editor of Noneucildean Cafe’
Response time is 2 days to 6 months
I was trying to submit to Zingara but cannot find the link. Can you send it to me? Thanks.
You can send submissions via email to zingarapoet@gmail.com.
I’m a little confused by the guidelines. If I submit three poems, do you want three word documents attached to one email, with the title of each poem in the subject line? Or, should I put the three poems in one word document, and if so, what would you like in the subject line?
Hi Richard! Thanks for your question. It’s easiest if you can submit all three of your poems in one word document, but sending them as separate documents is perfectly acceptable. Include the title of each poem separated by comma in the subject line of your email.
Hi, I see that your deadline has been extended (I learned that through crwopps). What is that new date? Thanks much.
Hi Heidi, thanks for checking on the new deadline. While I’d love to have new submissions by January 15, I have officially extended the deadline for 2016 picks to January 31st, 2016.
An inquiry pertaining to being published online: While I have illusions about poems used as Facebook status updates counting as publishing, both Facebook and LinkedIn have pages dedicated to workshopping poetry. How would posting poems on these pages effect their viability for submission?
I meant “no illusions.” I apologize.
Hi Benjamin, and thanks for your question.
If your poem was shared in a private FB group for purposes of workshop, I am happy to take a look at, and consider, the revised version for publication.
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