NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

CALL FOR POEMS

New & Previously Published Work Welcome

An invitation to all Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands poets!

We invite you to submit short poems to be featured in The Poetry Dispenser, housed at the Greater Victoria Public Library, Central Branch.

WHO CAN SUBMIT?

We welcome poets from across the community —
published poets and first-time writers alike.

We especially encourage submissions from:

• First Nations poets

• BIPOC poets

• 2SLGBTQ+ poets

• Poets with disabilities

• Senior poets

• Young poets

Submissions are open to anyone residing on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

• 1–2 poems

• Poems may be new or previously published

• Each poem must be 27 lines or fewer
  (25 lines is easier for us)

If submitting two poems:

• Each poem must begin on a new page

• Both poems must be in ONE Word document

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submit using the SUBMIT HERE button
OR email your CORRECTLY FORMATTED Word document to:

7thpoetlaureate@gmail.com
PLEASE READ all formatting requirements and details below:

DEADLINE

March 20th
(for inclusion in the dispenser)

FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

Please format your document exactly as follows:

Poem Title

(no more than 27 lines)

Your Name
• If published in a book: Book Title (Publisher, YEAR)
• If published in a journal or anthology: Publication Title + issue number OR Anthology Title
• If unpublished: you may include your website instead

If you are 18 years or younger, include your age after your name:
Example: Sylvia Lee, 16 years-old

FORMATTING DETAILS

• Easy-to-read font (Garamond, Times New Roman, Baskerville Old Face, Courier New)

• 10-point font

• Single-spaced

• ONE or TWO poems in a SINGLE Word document

CONTENT NOTE

Poems may cover any subject.
Please keep in mind that young people may pull poems from the dispenser. We ask that poets approach subject matter thoughtfully.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Poems will be curated by the Poet Laureate and Victoria’s Poetry Ambassadors.

Selected poems will be printed, cut, folded, and placed into the dispenser in time for our:

COMMUNITY LAUNCH EVENT

April 30th
at the close of National Poetry Month

PLEASE NOTE

Due to time constraints and the volunteer nature of this project:

• We will not notify poets whose work is not selected

• We will not accept revisions

• We will not enter into email discussions about selections or process

If time permits, we will list accepted poets on the website.

Thank you warmly for your understanding.