We appreciate your interest in Poet Lore. Below you'll find a brief description of our work:

Poet Lore is a biannual print journal of poetry and translations. Published with the conviction that poetry provides a record of human experience as valuable as history, Poet Lore’s intended audience is broadly inclusive.

Established by Charlotte Porter and Helen Clarke in 1889, Poet Lore is the nation’s oldest poetry journal. Poet Lore publishes a range of established and award winning poets such as Erika Meitner, Jose Hernandez Diaz, Sharon Olds, Kim Addonizio, Terrance Hayes, Linda Pastan, Mary Oliver & Carl Philips, who share the space with emerging poets. Someone’s first published poem may stand alongside another author’s 100th.

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity and highly encourage submissions from marginalized voices. We do not tolerate racism, bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, or any work that promotes harmful stereotypes and viewpoints.

In support of all of our contributors, we nominate select works each year for both The Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets.

Poet Lore pays contributors $50 per published poem. Due to the volume of poems we receive, our current response time is roughly 6-8 months. 

We accept general submissions twice a year: April 1 - May 31 and October 1 - November 30. 

We are open to translation submissions from January 1 - June 30 and from August 1 - November 30.

Guest editor calls for submissions will be announced on our website and via social media prior to opening. 

For our Summer/Fall 2024 issue, Guest Editor jason b. crawford will curate a folio of ekphrastic poems. Submissions will be open May 20th - June 5th.

By submitting to Poet Lore, submitters agree to receive periodic correspondence about new submission opportunities, events, and workshops. You can unsubscribe at any time.