About Poetry Wales
Founded in 1965, Poetry Wales is a triannual magazine with an international reputation for excellent poems, features and reviews from Wales and beyond. Emerging from a rich bilingual culture, Poetry Wales explores the diverse perspectives of Welsh poetry in English and its international relationships.
Its interest in translation, and in local and national identities in a global context, are at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in poetry today. The magazine is open to tradition and experiment, publishing poetry from a wide range of approaches. Against this background of dynamic contrast, it offers a lively and informed critical context for the best contemporary poetry.
Please read a copy of Poetry Wales magazine before submitting to get an idea of the kind of poetry we publish. The magazine welcomes ideas for features to appear in the magazine. If there is an article you would like to write for the magazine, or if you are interested in writing reviews of poetry books for us, please e-mail editor@poetrywales.co.uk
Call for Submissions
For our Spring 2024 issue of Poetry Wales 59.3, we will be joined by two Contributing Editors: Welsh writer Taylor Edmonds (who was previously a Contributing Editor for Poetry Wales 58.2) and Obsidian Foundation alumni Tangie Mitchell
Poetry Wales is always open to all, but for this call, we want to prioritise writers of the global majority
For 59.3, as always, we are open to all submissions on all themes. However, we would be particularly pleased to see work that considers what home means in a time of ecological emergency. 'Home' could be framed in terms of the ecological, but also in relation to the national, ancestral, spiritual, physical and emotional
It is no accident that this homeplace, as fragile and as transitional as it may be, a makeshift shed, a small bit of earth where one rests, is always subject to violation and destruction. For when a people no longer have the space to construct homeplace, we cannot build a meaningful community of resistance. - bell hooks (2014). “Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics”
We welcome your own interpretations of the theme, but for some inspiration, you may want to consider the following questions:
- How does home relate to the natural world, and what does the future of this look like with the impact of the ecological crisis?
- In a time of environmental destruction, how do we connect to the home(s) of our ancestors, and how will this live on in future generations?
- What does home mean to you beyond the physical? How does home manifest spiritually and emotionally? How do these nonphysical “homeplaces” act as balms in a time of such ecological, financial, and political uncertainty?"
Submissions Guidelines
For reference, please find a detailed submission guide here
- Please send no more than four poems, in Word doc. format
- We do not consider work that has been previously published anywhere, in print or online
- Please do not send simultaneous submissions. If you have submitted simultaneously and your poem has been accepted elsewhere, please let us know ASAP by emailing poetrywalessubmissions@gmail.com
- Please include a cover letter including a 50 word bio
For more advice on submitting work, to us or in general, check out our Resources for Writers
Submissions will be open from Friday 1st September to Friday 29th September