Charlotte Lit Press welcomes submissions of poetry chapbook manuscripts from writers of all backgrounds to be considered for publication in our chapbook series. We’re open to a broad range of styles—lyric, narrative, formal, and prose poetry, as well as hybrid forms such as haibun. We appreciate manuscripts that tend a topical or thematic thread and contain rich layers of meaning, along with evocative imagery, finely tuned sonics, well-managed associative leaps, and clarity of thought. And we agree heartily with poet Molly Peacock, who writes in her craft book How to Read a Poem and Start a Poetry Circle: Poetry is really the fusion of three arts: music, storytelling, and painting. The line displays the poem’s music, the sentence displays its thoughts, and the image displays the vision of the poet.
Beginning April 1, 2026, we’re seeking unpublished chapbook manuscripts (individual poems may have been previously published in journals or anthologies) of 18-36 pages of poems. (Your name and other identifying information should be removed. Though this is not a contest, our first reading and selection rounds will be anonymous.) We plan to publish two or more chapbooks later this year from this open call. Please review our full guidelines, using the link below.
