Shō Poetry Journal is reading submissions for Shō No. 10 (Winter 2026/2027) from June 1 to August 31, 2026.
Shō Poetry Journal is an Arizona-based independent nonprofit print journal emerging from a 20-year hibernation. We publish an eclectic range of poetry twice a year and publish audio features and themed playlists on a rolling basis. We strive to champion voices that have been historically underrepresented or overlooked. We offer free submissions to U.S. Indigenous Poets and at least one free pop-up for BIPOC poets during every reading period.
Each issue of Shō Poetry Journal features 40 to 50 poets. Our tastes are eclectic. We welcome poetry that engages us with energy, clarity, and vulnerability, with a focus on voice and image.
Poets published in Sho Poetry Journal include Chen Chen, Erica Dawson, Saddiq Dzukogi, Ally Ang, Carlos Andrés Gomez, Cortney Lamar Charleston, M. Cynthia Cheung, Alison Pelegrin, and many other brilliant voices. Work published in Sho Poetry Journal has been anthologized in Best New Poets, Verse Daily, Best Spiritual Literature, and is forthcoming in The Pushcart Prize.
Submit up to five previously unpublished poems at a time. We are interested in reading groups of poems as well as individual poems that can stand alone. We do not accept AI-generated work. Our average response time is 2 weeks, and we respond to all submissions within 30 days. Read our full submission guidelines here.
Shō Poetry Journal is a print journal. Payment is one contributor’s copy. US-based authors also receive a contributor discount on the purchase of extra copies.
All work accepted for publication from US residents will be considered for the Shō Poetry Prize (best poem or group of poems in issue) and the Sita Martin Prize (best poem or group of poems by a poet who has yet to publish a full-length poetry collection). Each winner receives $150 and a one-year subscription to Shō Poetry Journal. A runner-up in each category receives a one-year subscription.
