Closed on 6/25/20. We’ll be contacting #FlattenTheCurve submitters in the next couple of months. Thanks for your patience! Watch this page for our coming #BLM call, guest editor poet John LaPine!
Read What We Seek, How to Submit, and Disclaimers below. Then send your submission to CalifragilePoetry@gmail.com.
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General Submissions and Critique will be closed while we revamp and revision our site! We will consider submissions already in our system and get back to you as soon as possible. As a tiny volunteer journal, we appreciate your understanding.
Want to join us in our new vision? We’re expanding our editorial team!
What We Seek
We’ll consider your original poetry on most topics. (We’ll pass on inspirational verse, as well as work we feel is violent, pornographic, or oppressive.) Fitting in with our Califragile theme is a plus, but it’s not required. We seek writing that is spare and economic while showcasing what’s possible with imagery. We tend to prefer modern free verse over classical end rhyming, metered work. But quality walks in on its own. Wake up our eyes with something thrilling and unexpected. Have something to say, whether on the micro or macro level.
Regarding the Califragile theme, we’re not necessarily asking your poetry to save the world or have magical fixes to our ancient collective flaws. We’re more interested in poems that drag the scary questions from the shadows and portrait the truths we need to face. Send us your poems that deepen the dialog.
We sometimes consider previously published poems. You must include that information in your submission (“First published in Jug Handle Review“) so we can include that credit and be good poetry community citizens.
How to Submit
Just send up to 5 poems, in the body of an email, to califragilepoetry@gmail.com. Include a third person bio of no more than 100 words, and a short cover letter. Please tell us how you learned of Califragile! We are not able to handle unusual formatting or indentions at this time (only left justified work). We will try to respond within 1-6 months. We try to respond by email either way, but if you have not heard from us in 6 months, we have passed on your work. If rejected, please wait 6 months from the date of your submission before submitting again. We welcome simultaneous submissions. Just contact us by email if a poem becomes unavailable. We’re unable to give feedback on your submitted poems (read about our critique service below). But in some cases, we may propose edits to work we wish to publish.
Outside of themed calls, we accept general submissions with no deadline or distinct issues. We read and publish on a rolling basis, sometimes daily.
We reserve the right to close submissions in order to catch up, so that we can give every poem a thoughtful reading. So check this page thoroughly for announcements of a closed period before sending in your submission.
Disclaimers/Unclaimers/Reclaimers
When submitting to Califragile, you are attesting that writing you submit is yours and is free for publication. You grant us the right to publish your work on this site in perpetuity, in social media and news media for promotional purposes, and in our print anthologies (should your work be selected for one). You also give Califragile editors permission for your work to be submitted to and published in Best of the Net and/or Pushcart Anthology, should we select it for nomination.
If your work has been previously published (other than your blog) you must notify us of the place where it first appeared, so we may attach credit, which is our editorial policy.
If your work appears in Califragile first (other than your blog) you agree to credit Califragile if you publish it elsewhere (including your blog), such as:
First published in Califragile, or Previously published in Califragile.
For work appearing here first, you grant Califragile First North American Publication Rights. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the author. Once your work appears here, we impose no time frame on republishing your work elsewhere.
Read Wren Tuatha’s interview with Califragile Featured Poet Trish Hopkinson for more insight into what we seek.
New to Submitting?
This Skillshare tutorial with poet Rachel Mindell has great practical information to help you succeed.
Califragile Critiquing Services (Closed until May 1, 2020.)
Poets at all levels of experience sometimes want outside opinions of their work. Califragile offers a professional, in depth critique of your poetry, with a two week turnaround.
In her report, the editor will identify strengths and suggest areas for improvement, both of specific poems and of your craft in general. If relevant, the editor may suggest readings. She may share ideas of where to submit your work or how to further develop your skills. Her lens will be to prepare your work for publication in a literary journal. Feel free to pose questions to the editor and discuss goals for your work in your request.
Rates
$15 for the first poem; $1 each for additional poem, five poems maximum, so:
1 poem $15
2 poems $25
3 poems $35
4 poems $45
5 poems $55
To Use Our Critiquing Services
Send a cover letter and your poems to the above email address:
califragilepoetry@gmail.com
IMPORTANT: Title your email CRITIQUE REQUEST so it’s not mistaken for a publication submission. Poems can be in the body of the email or in a doc. If in a doc, one poem per page, each poem no longer than two pages, no more than five poems total. Use a standard font, 12 point size. No fancy colors, just black.
Send your debit or credit payment to our PayPal.me account:
PayPal.me/califragle (note that “Califragile” is misspelled in our PayPal domain. Never an editor around when you need one!)
You don’t need to have a PayPal account to use our PayPal.me service. You’ll receive our detailed critique within three weeks. We look forward to serving you!
Painting Le Rayon, by Felis Vallotton.
califragile.org 