Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines Thank you for considering Sunday Mornings at the River for your poetry submission. Please use the following guidelines to ensure that your submission is considered.
No minimum or maximum word count.
If you submit more than one poem, please put all your poems in the same doc, starting a new page for each poem.
No rhyming.
No pro-religious poetry, critical poems are welcome.
No simultaneous submissions. A simultaneous submission is a work that is submitted to multiple publications at the same time. Read about why I take this stance by clicking the link above. Spoiler alert: it's not to make your life difficult.
Previously published work is welcome, except when the other publications demand credit for publishing your work.
Only Docs are accepted, no PDFs or photo posts.
Check out my masthead, my vision and some of my previously published work before you submit, to make sure you are submitting to the right place for your work.
I do not have set submission periods or deadlines for general submissions. Specific open calls, like the annual Sunday Mornings at the River Diary, may run with their own deadline. The diary is currently open for submissions with a deadline of end of September.
My Preferences
I believe a poet's job is much like what Salman Rushdie wrote in his novel The Satanic Verses: a poet's work is to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep.
At Sunday Mornings at the River, I seek poetry that is powerful, sincere, and unafraid to tackle difficult themes and use strong language. I prefer free verse over rhyme, and prioritize work that is not overshadowed by the ego of the poet. Thank you for considering me as a potential home for your poetry.