Thank you for your interest in submitting to the BPJ.
We’re open to a wide range of forms and styles in contemporary poetry. We’re always watching for new poets, quickened language, and work that offers a fresh purchase on the political or social landscape.
We respond to manuscripts we know aren't for us as soon as we can. The rest we circulate among the editorial board members and continue to winnow. At long-weekend-long meetings, we read aloud those poems in which we have strong interest and collaborate to choose an issue from among them.
For more information about the journal, our various call for submissions, and our editorial process—and to read work we’ve published in the past—visit our website at www.bpj.org.
SUBMISSION PERIODS
▸ We read regular submissions during two open reading periods:
- Our Winter Open Reading Period runs from January 1 through January 31
- Our Summer Open Reading Period runs from July 1 through July 31
Note about open reading periods: We can receive 800 fee-free submissions per month in our open reading periods. If we reach 800, submissions will close until our next open reading period.
▸ We consider submissions for the Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry from February 1 to April 30.
▸ We consider manuscripts for the Chad Walsh Chapbook Series from October 1 to November 30.
Guidelines for all reading periods and contests are available on our website. See the submission forms below for specific guidelines pertaining to current and upcoming calls.
Beloit Poetry Journal invites submissions for the Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry
- $1,500 prize for a single poem
- Judge: Marie Howe
- Submissions open February 1 - April 30, 2023 (midnight EST)
Guidelines
- Submit 1-3 unpublished poems on any subject in any style up to a maximum of 10 pages per entry. (We enjoy long poems!)
- Reading fee of $15 per entry. A limited number of complimentary entries are available to poets for whom the fee presents a hardship. Contact us at bpj@bpj.org for more information on fee-free submitting.
- Submitters paying the $15 fee may purchase a 1-year subscription to the BPJ for only $25, nearly 30% off the regular subscription price. (An additional shipping charge applies to international subscribers.)
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify us immediately of publication elsewhere by leaving a message (not a note) in Submittable.
- We regret we that cannot accept entries after the deadline or changes to poems after submission.
- Please no translations (though we are happy to see these during our regular reading periods).
- Kindly refrain from placing your name anywhere on the attached manuscript.
- The editors will consider all submissions for publication.
- We follow the CLMP Guidelines for contests and are committed, in all we do, to the highest ethical standards. If you are a personal friend, family member, student of any BPJ editor or of the judge, or if you are a former or current intern or staff member of the BPJ, please refrain from submitting. If you have questions about our parameters for these restrictions, please reach out at bpj@bpj.org.
“…every poem breaks a silence that had to be overcome…” —Adrienne Rich