Postcard is open to submissions of prose and verse poems twice a year: August 1-November 30 and February 1-May 31. We aim to respond to each submission within 3 months, but if you have not heard from us in 4 months, feel free to reach out. Postcard welcomes submissions from writers both new and established. Writers can reside anywhere in the world, but at the moment we only ship orders in the US (we’re working on figuring out an international shipping option).

Poem Guidelines

  • Please send one-three poems per writer, per submission period.

  • Due to the available space on a postcard your submission must adhere to the following length limits:

    • Prose poems should be under 130 words if it’s one stanza, under 120 words if it’s two stanzas, or under 110 words if it’s three stanzas.

    • Poems in verse should be under 16 lines (a stanza break counts as a line) and lines should be no longer than 3.5inches (using 12pt Times New Roman as your guide).

  • We do not consider previously published work.

  • Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you notify us if it is picked up elsewhere.

  • Poems can be sent to postcardliterary@gmail.com; the subject line should read, “Submission – Your Name”.

  • Attach your poems in a single Word doc/docx or PDF.

  • Please include a short (short) cover letter to say hello and a brief third person bio.

General Info

  • If we pass on your submission, you are welcome to submit during our next submission period. Please don’t submit again until we’ve responded to your previous submission.

  • While we enjoy work that takes chances and pushes boundaries, any racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, xenophobia, or ableism will not be considered.

  • Postcard encourages submissions from underrepresented groups.

  • Postcard acquires first serial rights; after publication, all rights revert to the author. If your Postcard poem is included in a book or anthology, we ask that you please mention that it appeared in Postcard.

  • Unfortunately, Postcard cannot afford to pay contributors at this moment (such is the life of a small literary magazine). Contributors will receive one free copy of the issue in which they appear.