Call For Submissions
As Salman Rushdie has noted, a poem cannot stop a bullet. Nor can a chapbook shoot a rifle. No, in troubled times–like these–the poet’s job is not to soldier, but to bear witness.
This is the nature of our call for submissions: poems of witness to the troubled events we’ve been experiencing in the recent past. There’s been enough trouble to encompass a wide range of topics.
So send your best poems–no more than five–on what you’ve witnessed. Any length, any form. We don’t care if the poems have already been published, as long as you have retained the copyright. Submissions will be capped after 100 entries.
Send your poems in .doc or .docx, formatted in 11pt Times New Roman, single spaced. Keep in mind that if your lines are longer than +/-70 characters and spaces they will break and continue on the next line.
Entries will be read blind. Do not include your name on your file. A brief bio and mention of prior publication is optional.
The winning poems will be featured in an anthology, BEARING WITNESS 2025. The best three will receive the following prizes:
First place, $100.00
Second place, $50.00
Third place, $25.00
Free copies of the anthology will be sent to all whose poems are included.
There will be a $15.00 reading fee, to defray the costs of publication and awards.
(NOTE: If you are unable to pay the fee, contact [email protected])
What we do not want are abusive rants. We are still proudly woke at Sligo Creek Publishing.
Submission Period
July 11, 2025 - August 31, 2025
Submissions Guidelines URL
Contact Name
Alan Abrams
Contact Title
Editor
Contact Email Address
Contact Website
Poetry Press
