FAQ

Where can I buy a copy of Shō Poetry Journal?

Online

We sell copies of each issue in our webshop. Sometimes we attend book fairs, including AWP and the Northern Arizona Book Festival in Flagstaff, AZ.

Bookstores that stock Shō Poetry Journal

You can find recent issues of Shō Poetry Journal at our favorite independent bookstore in Prescott, AZ:
Peregrine Book Company
219 N Cortez St
Prescott, AZ 86301

Libraries that stock Shō Poetry Journal

Shō Poetry Journal is available to browse at the University of Arizona’s wonderful Poetry Library in Tucson:

University of Arizona Poetry Center Library
1508 E. Helen Street
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0150
520-626-3765

Beginning with Shō No. 7 (Summer 2025), Shō Poetry Journal is available to libraries, schools, and corporations via EBSCO’s digital magazine service Flipster. Tell your libraries to order it here! Physical annual subscriptions to Shō Poetry Journal can be purchased through our website here.

Submissions

Where can I submit my work to Shō Poetry Journal?

Please submit your work to Shō Poetry Journal via Submittable. We typically accept poetry submissions in summer (June 1 to August 31) and winter (December 15 to March 15). Submissions sent via email or our contact form will be discarded.

If you are currently incarcerated, or submitting on behalf of an incarcerated writer, you may submit poetry via postal mail during our reading periods. Submissions must include an SASE or email address. Please note that at this time, we only have the capacity to respond to poetry submissions. See more information here.

How many times can I submit?

We do not accept multiple submissions from a poet. However, once you’ve heard back from us, you may submit again. We do not currently place a cap on the number of times a person may submit during a single reading period, but ask that you follow the guidelines and submit your best work.

I’ve revised a poem that Shō Poetry Journal previously gave me feedback on/that came close. Can I include it in my new submission?

Yes. We are open to reading revised versions of previously-submitted poems, particularly if we expressed interest in them or if they’ve since been significantly revised.

Since Shō is a Japanese name, should I send my haiku? Is your focus on Japanese poetic forms or Japanese-themed poetry?

The name Shō was given to Founding Editor Sita Martin by her spiritual teacher, who never told her what it meant. From what we’ve gathered, it’s a Japanese prefix that takes on different meanings depending on the context. The meaning we’ve found most resonant is “to bridge” or “cross over.” Given that it was Sita Martin’s swan song, we like thinking of the birth of Shō as a bridge that helped her cross over from this world to the next.

That said, we are not a Japanese-themed journal. For a taste of the kinds of work we publish, please buy a copy of the latest issue or read our online samples.

Do you solicit work for your issues?

No. At present, all of the work we publish is unsolicited.

Do you accept poetry in translation?

We do not currently accept poetry in translation. Here are a few literary journals that do:

Diode (online) – fast response time
Hayden’s Ferry Review (print/online)
Michigan Quarterly Review (print)
Poetry Northwest (print/online)
SAND Journal (online)

Why do you charge a reading fee for general submissions on Submittable?

Shō Poetry Journal is run at every stage by three volunteers. As a nonprofit print journal that is coming out of a 20-year hibernation, we face certain challenges that online journals or more established journals do not (namely printing, shipping, and grant eligibility).

We consider $3 a fair fee for an expedited response of 30 days (though we often respond sooner). Whatever we receive through Submittable fees (after credit card and transaction fees) may be used to offset the following:

• Contributor copies and contributor discounts

• Postage and materials (which currently includes shipping copies to international contributors)

• The annual fees for using Submittable, plus membership and transaction fees

• Editors’ prize money for each issue (The Shō Poetry Prize and the Sita Martin Prize)

• The issue’s print run (especially in the face of paper shortages, increased demand, and therefore increased costs; and taking into account our inability to benefit from economies of scale)

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• Membership to CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines and Presses), who help promote our issues and themed playlists and round-ups, and who have distributed free copies of Shō Poetry Journal at Brooklyn Book Festival in the past

• Website management

• Domain hosting

As we grow, we hope to be able to qualify for funding that will enable us to pay contributors beyond their print copies.

In the meantime, we do what we can. During each reading period, we offer:
– Free submissions to U.S. Indigenous poets;
– At least one pop-up window of free submissions for BIPOC poets (announced in advance on social media)
– At least one free pop-up per year of free submissions to everyone (announced in advance on social media)

Starting with Shō No. 6, we also award prize money and free subscriptions for each issue—read about the Sita Martin Prize and Shō Poetry Prize.

We nominate contributors for multiple prizes, including Best New Poets, Best Spiritual Literature (edited and published by Orison Books), and the Pushcart Prize. In 2025, we began nominating work for Best of the Net, the Monarch Queer Literary Awards, and the Nina Riggs Poetry Award run by Cave Wall Press. We submit a copy of each issue to venues such as Verse Daily, New Pages, and Poetry Daily.

Beginning with Shō No. 7, institutions may subscribe to Shō Poetry Journal through Flipster.

Cover Art

Do you accept cover art?

We currently work with a small number of artists who provide art for our covers. You can view our covers here. Cover art for Shō No. 4 and No. 5 were by Korean-American artist Harim Choi, with whom we worked to create artwork tailored to each issue. Cover art for Shō No. 6 and No. 7 featured artwork by Tanya Rastogi.

At present, we are focused on working with early-career historically underrepresented artists whose work is an aesthetic fit for Shō Poetry Journal. We will consider pieces that reproduce well with printer constraints and our 6″x9″ format. We prefer to use artwork that has not appeared online.

Miscellaneous

How can I apply to become a reader, editor, or team member of Shō Poetry Journal?

We are not seeking new volunteers at this time. If our organizational needs change, we will post volunteer opportunities on our Instagram feed and on Substack.

How do I get that macron over the o in Shō?

If you’re on a Mac or an iPhone, you can hold down the ‘o’ key to select the one with the macron. If you’re on Windows, hold down the Alt key and type 014D on the numeric keypad.