I Wrote a Poem: Now What?

As a young writer, I have found it difficult to find places to submit my writing. For writers my age (I am twelve and my first poems were published when I was eight), there is a limited number of options. However, buried amid the many publications that only consider writing by adults, there are a few well-known magazines, journals, and platforms that publish and challenge young people, though every publication has its own guidelines and restrictions. The following publications are among the most selective and prestigious places that consider submissions by young poets. 

Rattle Young Poets Anthology (RYPA) is a yearly anthology published by a poetry magazine, titled Rattle. RYPA publishes poetry by writers ages 15 and under; however, it only publishes about 25 poems per year. Their submission usually closes in mid-November and decisions are announced by February.

The Louisville Review also publishes young poets, 18 years old and under, in a section of the journal called the Cornerstone. The journal publishes twice a year, for now, only in print. The Louisville Review is a beautiful publication; each of its covers is a work of art, literally. The poems in Cornerstone are always stunning – it’s hard to believe that they’re written by kids. 

The prestigious Poetry Society of the UK has a section on its website called the Young Poets’ Network. It posts regular writing contests, much like Stone Soup’s monthly flash contests. It is highly competitive, since the upper age limit for these competitions is 25 years of age. However, younger contestants are often published. In addition, the same organization runs a yearly poetry contest called the Foyle Young Poets’ Award, which accepts submissions from poets ages 11 to 17. Submissions are usually due in July and decisions are announced by early October. An important thing to keep in mind when submitting to this award is that only 15 winning and 75 commended poems are chosen from about 16,000 poems submitted every year. 

In addition, journals such as Ember and The Adroit, though they do not have special categories for younger poets, encourage submissions by young people. To submit to Ember, you must be at least 10 years old. The Adroit allows anyone to submit, but it was originally founded to promote writing by the high school students.

The key thing to remember when you’re considering submitting your work to a magazine, journal, or writing contest is that a good poem requires many revisions. The editors/reviewers/readers at these publications are often volunteers and dedicate a lot of time to reading submissions, so, out of respect for editors and reviewers, make sure that you’re submitting your very best work. I’ve had my share of rejections, so I know that the review process may feel daunting, even discouraging, but I’ve been published in most of these places, so it’s definitely possible. As long as you’re truly interested in writing and reading poetry, give these places a shot.

Rattle Young Poets’ Anthology:

https://www.rattle.com/children/guidelines/

The Louisville Review:

https://louisvillereview.org/submissions

Poetry Society’s Young Poets’ Network:

https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/

Ember:

https://emberjournal.org/

The Adroit Journal:

https://theadroitjournal.org/