About

We had so much fun creating Poeming Pigeons – Poems about Birds, we decided to let Homer (our Poeming Pigeon mascot) continue to drop poems across the globe. Thus, we launched The Poeming Pigeon^® – A Literary Journal of Poetry.

Here at The Poetry Box^®, we strongly believe great literature is meant to be accessible and enjoyed by everyone. Too often, we hear comments from our non-writer friends, “Poetry is dead” or “I just don’t like (or get) poetry.” Our mission is to bring poetry to the masses. Let’s open a window and usher in the light of language. Poetry has the power to engage, entertain, enlighten.

We invite all voices, and especially those that have been historically marginalized or under-heard to submit and partner with us. We welcome work from both established and emerging writers alike. Every submission starts out in the same pile and is judged merely on its own merit, not the reputation of the writer. We enjoy poems of all styles: formal, free-verse, metered, non-rhyming, experimental, nostalgic, political, erotic, abstract, lyrical, etc. We don’t censor or shy away from ‘tough topics’, however we do draw the line at poetry that discriminates against our fellow humans.

For our first three years, we published a new issue every six months. But, as the response and volume of submissions has increased with each issue, we have decided to release a new issue of The Poeming Pigeon^® approximately every year, each issue having a unique theme. This will allow us ample time to select the best poems from a variety of poets around the globe. There will be rotating open calls for submissions to the journal, so we encourage you to sign up for our newsletter (at the bottom of this page) to be the first to hear about new themes, calls, and book releases.

We pledge to our readers and subscribers to publish a journal teeming with poems to stir your senses, reveal new truths, make you laugh, cry and tilt your head in that curious puppy dog way. And to the accepted poets who share and entrust us with their words, we promise to represent your work in the highest aesthetic possible, in a book you will be proud to share.

We are very happy to announce that Annie Bloom’s Books—a charming brick-n-mortar bookshop in Multnomah Village (7834 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland,Oregon) is now carrying all issues of The Poeming Pigeon. So if you’re in the area, please stop by, and tell them The Poetry Box sent you.

Submission Calls & Updates

THE POP CULTURE ISSUE:

Popular Culture is the accumulation of cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, cyber-culture, television and radio that are consumed by the majority of a society’s population. One of the main characteristics of pop culture is its accessibility to the masses and that it exists or predominates in a society at a certain point in time.

Feel free to explore all sides of the theme, including letting loose and having fun. You can write about all those topics you thought were taboo for poetry. Got a poem about house-training your pet rock? We want to read it. Do you know every episode of The Brady Bunch by heart—write a poem. Put down those fidget-spinners and let those digits fly across the keyboard. Keep in mind, your poem does not have to be about “current” pop culture. Feel free to pick your favorite decade; each one has been marked by a variety of pop culture and fads. We can’t wait to read your fad-fabulous poetry!

Looking for inspiration? Check out The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington. (https://www.mopop.org/)

The Pop Culture Issue scheduled for release in Fall 2020.

UPDATE: For the “Pop Culture” Issue, we have decided that yes we will consider previously published work. Please include acknowledgment details at the bottom of the poem.

Submission Period: Oct 15 – Dec 15, 2019

Upcoming Themes

Upcoming Themes for The Poeming Pigeon:

~~#9 – THE COSMOS: Submissions Open Apr 15 – Jun 15, 2019~~
#10 – POP CULTURE: Submissions Open Oct 15 – Dec 15, 2019
#11 – ANYTHING GOES (Our first non-themed issue): Submissions Open Oct 15 – Dec 15, 2020

Submission Guidelines

One submission (maximum 3 poems) per author.
Please put all poems in a one single file attachment.
All submissions must be typed…not handwritten. Single-spaced (double space between stanzas).
All poems should have a title.
If submitting more than one poem, please start each poem on a new page. (It’s advised to use the “insert page break” function to guarantee that your poem actually starts on a new page as it travels through cyberspace)
If a poem is longer than one page, please notate whether or not there should be a stanza break, by putting {break} or {no break} at the top of the following page.
Include your name (as it should appear in your byline) and email address at the bottom of each page, with page numbers. (We’re not selecting work based on “who”; this is just to help us stay organized.)
For the “Pop Culture” Issue, we have decided that yes we will consider previously published work. Please include acknowledgment details at the end of the poem: (“Poem Title” previously published in Publication Title, Year.)
Please present your poems in the format you’d like them to appear. If some of the lines are wider than our margins, we will consult you regarding any necessary line breaks or indentations needed for formatting. Our page size is 6 x 9 inches with approximately 1 inch margins.
Please use a standard readable font such as Times New Roman or Arial in 12pt. Do not embed your poems in graphics or imagery.
Please send your BIO (50 words or less) written in THIRD PERSON, in the field provided on Submittable. Please limit your publishing credits to three. Include notable accomplishments and something fun & personal to keep it engaging for our readers. Also, feel free to include one website at the end of your bio. As a reader, I always love it when I can directly contact the poet/author about a piece that has moved me … so don’t be shy.
Simultaneous submissions are okay.
We will not respond to submissions until AFTER the deadline of Dec 15th has passed, to make sure we give everyone a fair shot. If you haven’t heard from us by March 1st, feel free to drop us a line to inquire the status of your submission.
We promise to read every submission and respond via email.
We offer our contributing authors a free copy and the chance to pre-order copies of the anthology at a discount 30 days before we go to print. We also support our writers by making nominations from each issue to The Pushcart Prize.
Acceptance grants The Poetry Box North American serial, electronic and archival publishing rights. Copyright always remains with the author. If a poem published first in The Poeming Pigeon is later published elsewhere, we respectfully ask that you credit us as the original publisher.
We only accept submissions via SUBMITTABLE. Click on the button below to submit your work: