Guidelines

 

We thank everyone who has submitted to the Winter 2023 issue. We are now OPEN for submissions for the July 2024 issue.

The journal is released biannually (usually in July and December), in print and online.

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Submissions

Submissions are FREE and collected through email. You can expect a reply within three months.

Simultaneous submissions ARE acceptable. Notify us immediately if a poem is accepted elsewhere.

Although we prefer unpublished work, previously published poems are acceptable if you retain the right to republish them.

Translations are not accepted.

Please send us only completed work. Do not revise your work after you have submitted it to us.

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Prizes

In each issue, we choose three poems to nominate for the Pushcart Prize.

Two poems from each issue will also receive The Grantchester Award and its affiliated cash prize.

First place is $50.00.

Second place is $30.00.

You can view past winners here.

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Submission Guidelines

Please include one to three poems in a single Word document (not a PDF). We greatly prefer Times New Roman, 12-point font.

Your document should also include your 50-word bio written in the third person. If published, your bio may be edited for length, especially if it exceeds 50 words.

Title your submission document with your name as you want it to appear in print. There should be nothing else in the title of the document (e.g., “Jane Doe” not “Jane Doe Poems” or “Jane Doe Orchards”). We know your document contains a poetry submission. 😊

Use the same title (i.e., your name or pen name only) as the subject line of your email to orchardspoetrysubmissions@gmail.com. You may include a very brief cover letter that prominently lists the titles of the poems you are submitting. Finally, attach your submission document and send it our way.

We look forward to reading your work!

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Extra Tips

Style: While we encourage rhymed verse in traditional forms, we also accept finely wrought free verse. You can read past issues for free online in the Previous Issues page to get a good idea of what we like.

Length: Since The Orchards is published in print as well as online, we have a limited amount of space. Poems longer than two 6×9 pages are less likely to be accepted.

Timing: We publish biannually. This means that heavily spring- or summer-themed poems submitted in the fall/winter reading period may be rejected or accepted for publication in the following spring/summer issue, and vice versa.

Themes: Our editors’ vision for The Orchards is to create a cohesive reading experience for each issue. This means that sometimes, we reject work we love if it does not fit with the themes/flavor of the issue. If your work wasn’t suitable for the upcoming issue, please do not let that discourage you from submitting again in the future!

Collections: Have a chapbook or full-length manuscript ready to submit? Please visit our sister publisher at Kelsay Books! We accept unsolicited manuscripts year-round.