POETRY INTERNATIONAL is one of the oldest and most respected literary journals dedicated to publishing poetry from around the globe. Each issue of the print journal brings together poems, portfolios, and prose representing a rich diversity of countries and languages.
In addition to the print journal, PIOnline also features global conversations about books, poetry, and poetics and an archive of international poets and poems.
PI runs contests throughout the year for poems, chapbooks, broadsides, and more. Please review the guidelines for each contest prior to submitting. See below for submissions that are currently open.
We ask for your patience as we read your work. It may take us up to six months or more. Please know that each entry is carefully considered. Please do not query.
By submitting to Poetry International, submitters agree to receive correspondence about future work and submission opportunities from PI. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Poetry International prides itself on featuring chapbooks (or “portfolios”) both in English and in translation. We have featured Jane Hirshfield, Carolyn Forché, Jacquelyn Pope, Christian Wiman, Amy Gerstler, Bob Hicok, and new translations of Anna Swir, Osip Mandelstam, Yannis Ritsos, Tomaz Salamun, and René Char. We would be delighted to have the opportunity to include your name in this list!
We are looking for chapbooks with consistently strong poems--poems that speak to one another lyrically and thematically. A review of the finalists and winners from recent competitions has revealed that the strongest chapbooks are typically the shortest; because of that we have changed the page limit and invite you to send a gathering of your strongest work to be considered for Poetry International's Tiny Chapbook Competition.
Winning chapbooks will be announced on our websites and on social media and published as portfolios.
The Prize: Publication in Poetry International
Reading Period: January 1st -February 1st, 2026
Reading Fee: $20
Guidelines:
- Manuscripts may be anywhere from 8-16 page pages in length.
- Work must be previously unpublished as a whole (individual poem publication is okay).
- Please include a cover letter with the following information: Your name, phone number, and email address.
- Simultaneous submissions are okay as long as you inform us immediately if the chapbook has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
- All individual poems will be considered for publication.
- Collaborations and translations are welcome as long as the submitting author has the rights to the work. For translations, please send only the English version.
- All chapbooks should have a separate title page.
- NOTE: Your submission title & the name of the document you attach should be your chapbook title.
No current or former staff of Poetry International or recent graduates of San Diego State University are eligible to apply.
Dispatches are articles, reports, and essays on a wide variety of topics related to poetry, poets, and poetics. A Dispatch may be one poet sharing the work or a personal memory of another, such as "The Assignment," or “In Praise of Adam Zagajewski.” Or, it could be a report on how poetry is coming alive in the world and responding to global and local issues, such as “Poetry and Plastics.” Or, it could be something else entirely. We are excited to hear your ideas.
Queries should include:
1. A brief biographical statement, including a publishing history as well as any information about your personal or professional background, experience, and education that may be pertinent.
2. A description of no more than 250 words of the Dispatch you propose. (You may propose up to three) including the topic you propose addressing, why it is of interest, and any background information and details on the topic that might be significant, for example, your relationship to the topic/poet, etc.
3. (optional) Links to one or two relevant writing samples.