Welcome to the Poets Reading the News open call for poetry about current events. 

Before you submit, please review our full submission guidelines.

One submission may be under review at a time; each submission can include up to three (3) poems.

We are committed to featuring essential voices that have been underrepresented throughout journalistic and poetic history. We particularly encourage writers of color, women writers, LGBTQI+ writers, emergent writers, low-income/no-income writers, and/or writers near and far to submit their writing.

We ask that you help sustain Poets Reading the News if you are able by paying a modest submission fee to offset our Submittable costs. If this is a barrier, please use our no-cost poetry submission form here.

Thank you so much for sharing your writing with us. We look forward to reading your poetry!
 

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Poets Reading the News is the groundbreaking news publication for original poetry about current events. Our purpose is to enact poetry’s vital cultural function as a processor for violence, cultural complexity, and political change. We provide breaking poetry coverage on a diverse range of critical contemporary issues, including gun violence, politics, technology and climate change and are home to Pulitzer Prize winners, national poet laureates, and emergent writers.

Poets Reading the News is excited to invite applications for our new cohort of Associate Poetry Editors.

Associate Poetry Editors are integral to reviewing and selecting from our large volume of poetry submissions. Collaborating directly with our editorial team, they evaluate submissions assigned to them, engage in thoughtful discourse around poetry and current events, and participate in roundtables to decide on what to publish. Associate Poetry Editors can expect to hone their ability to read critically, evaluate complex poetry from a range of styles, advocate for writing they find important, learn the ropes of digital publishing, and read a lot - a lot - of timely poetry.

This is a volunteer position in a volunteer-run organization. It is remote with occasional Zoom roundtable meetings taking place in the mornings on Pacific Standard Time.

Hear from Past Associate Editors

"The association with PRTN has been like a master class. It has exposed me to a team team of highly engaged and enthusiastic peer reviewers. The collaborative effort and active interest of each member was always to stay anchored to the core spirit of the journal. In a year that has been brittle and forced us to access our inner most sources of strength and inspiration, the poetry I read in this role, the discussions, the workshopping, the readings were a meditative space at all times. Serving PRTN was my connection to resilience and creativity. Ever grateful." - Kashiana Singh

"Being able to read all the great submissions PRTN receives has been such a beautiful escape from daily life... Getting to know Elle and the other editors, during our meetings but also by reviewing pieces together and reading each other's views, was inspiring. It has been a wonderful learning experience. PRTN is such a warm community committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and I am very proud to be part of it." - Nikki Ikani

Women, indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQI+ individuals strongly encouraged to apply. Contact editors[at]poetsreadingthenews[dot]com with questions.