Top 5 Online Poetry Journals for New Writers

This is based on the printed periodical Poetry. The Poetry Foundation publishes the print version and is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The journal offers free events and lists upcoming poetry readings. Poetryfoundation.com also has a blog, audio and podcasts and reading guides to learn more about different poetry styles.

This online journal has a great feature for those wanting poetry information. Using The Poetry Tool, you begin by first selecting either poems, poets, audio/visuals, articles or childrens tabs. From these main categories, options include finding which poems are a particular poetry term (for example choose Poems-By Glossary Term-Ode to find more than 50 ode-style poems, many of which were first published by Poetry) or even a fun poetry visual to stick on the fridge (select Audio/Visuals-Visuals-For the fridge).

For poets that would like to have their works published, Poetry Magazine states that for first serial rights for poems they pay 10.00 per line of poetry (minimum of 300.00 for the poem), and for prose the pay is 150.00 per page. Submissions may be made by mail or through an online submission account.

• Apply for submissions and read guidelines for Poetry Magazine publications here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/submissions.html
• Apply for a submission account here: https://submissions.poetrymagazine.org/

ZYZZYVA, besides being the poetry and art journal with the funny name, focuses on the West Coast area's artists and writers and is one of the few literary journals not associated with a university, making it completely nonacademic. It has a great editorial staff that makes reading it fun.

It publishes both veteran writers and newbies who have never published before. If you live in any of the West Coast states (Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska or Hawaii) you may send in submissions. They accept queries via email and submissions by mail. Remember, only West Coast inhabitants may submit to this journal. The pay is 50.00 for any published work, no matter the length.

• Apply for submissions and read guidelines for ZYZZYVA here: http://www.zyzzyva.org/zy-subs.htm

The 2River poetry journal has an online blog, Muddy River, publishes occasional chapbooks and features previously unpublished works. 2RV is published quarterly.

Poets can submit their works via email. The suggested time for submission is early in the reading period for each quarter. While they don't pay for published works, 2River focuses on unpublished poems only.

• Apply for submissions and read guidelines for 2River Poetry and Art publications here: http://www.2river.org/office/submit.html

This poetry journal started out in coffeehouses and bookstores in New York and has since given a voice to unpublished creative writers since 1994. Published bimonthly, the online journal has back issue information and artist info from the cover art.

Literal Latte accepts both submissions to the journal and entries to contests. For the submission process the journal accepts both creative prose and poetry as well as art. Literal Latte has five annual contests that range in prize money from 200.00 to 1,000.00, each with separate guidelines for entering.

• Apply for submissions and read guidelines for Literal Latte here: http://www.literal-latte.com/submissions/
• Apply and find more information for their contests here: http://www.literal-latte.com/contests/

The print version is published on newsprint format giving it an authentically unique feel. The online journal has current and past issues with links to selected poems and brief information about the poets who wrote them.

Poets can look up activities in the poetry world and can order online back issues and anthologies. Submissions are done via mail only, and The American Poetry Review gives a 1,000.00 prize for two of the previous years published poets.

• Apply for submissions and read guidelines for The American Poetry Review here: http://www.aprweb.org/guidelines/guidelines.shtml