Submit to Shō Poetry Journal
Submissions are accepted via Submittable!
Reading Periods
Summer issue: December 1 to March 1
Winter issue: June 1 to August 31
As an Arizona-based journal, we offer free submissions to Native American and Indigenous Canadian poets as a gesture of solidarity.
We also offer one free pop-up window to BIPOC poets during every reading period. Dates are announced—with advance notice—on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook. Follow us on Submittable to see when we’re open!
Guidelines
• Submit up to five poems at a time. We do not accept previously published work (this includes poems posted to social media or to personal websites). Please do not submit additional work until you’ve heard back from us regarding a previous submission.
• Your cover letter should include the titles you are submitting and any information you’d like us to know. If your poem is ‘after’ another poet, please name the poem it’s after, or provide any relevant details in your cover letter.
Submit a short third-person bio (60 words or less).
• Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you specify this in your cover letter and send us a message through Submittable if your work is accepted elsewhere. Please do not withdraw your poems via our contact form or email.
• We do not accept AI generated work.
Formatting
• Please include page numbers and your name on every page.
• Save your packet as a PDF or Word (doc or docx) file and name your file as follows: FirstName_LastName
Response time
Our average response time is 2 weeks. We attempt to respond to all submissions within 30 days or less.
If your submission is more than 30 days old and you have not received a response, please check your Submittable account and send us a message.
Payment
Shō is a print journal. Payment is one contributor’s copy. US-based authors also receive a discount on the purchase of extra copies.
All work accepted for publication will be considered for the Shō Poetry Prize (best poem in issue) and the Sita Martin Prize (best poem by an emerging poet with no full-length collection). Each winner receives $150 and a one-year subscription to Shō.
Copyright
Shō Poetry Journal requests first serial rights, except for work that has been previously published, as well as the right to republish accepted works on our website and/or to use excerpts in our social media feeds and submit work to venues such as Verse Daily. Rights revert to the author upon publication; however, please credit Shō Poetry Journal with first publication if the work is republished elsewhere.
Mail submissions for incarcerated poets
Shō Poetry Journal welcomes mail submissions from incarcerated poets during our reading periods (December 1 – March 31 and June 1 – September 30).
Send a cover letter, brief biographical statement, and up to five poems to:
Shō Poetry Journal
P.O. Box 4410
Chino Valley, AZ 86323
Work should be unpublished and accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Please allow 1 – 3 months for a response. When possible, we include brief feedback and personalized recommendations.
For more opportunities for incarcerated writers, see this list of resources compiled by Sonya Huber.
