Christmas-winter 2023-24
Following on from our previous Christmas-winter editions, we will be publishing a new, fourth volume for Christmas 2023/24. We welcome poems on all cultural and folk traditions around this time of year (Diwali, solstice, Hannukah, Mari Lwyd, etc.)
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The submission period when we will accept your work is Sunday 18th December 2022 - 31st January 2023. Poems before or after this date are highly unlikely to be read or responded to given our capacity. You can expect a response on whether or not you are included from us by 30th May, 2023 (within 5 months) but hopefully earlier.
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We look for imagistic, suggestive poems, following the idea of 'less is more' and publish vivid poems that avoid cliché and have subtlety. We recommend that you purchase and read our previous editions before submitting and also read up on imagism. Narrative poems are rarely published here. We strongly recommend you obtain a copy of previous Christmas/ winter editions which are available on Amazon. You'll get a very clear idea of the different styles of poems we publish and will get inspired!
Usual submission guidelines:
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a) Poets are invited to submit three micro/ short poems. These must be previously unpublished.
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b) The poems should not exceed ten lines long. Please send in Garamond font, size 12, in the submission window. We welcome bilingual versions of the same poem (eg. Welsh and English versions).
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c) We’d prefer punctuated poems but it's not essential.
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d) Please send a short biography (up to 150 characters (to fit Twitter) - not 150 words!) and a photo (less than 500kb) and your poems in Microsoft Word by attachment. If you do not wish to send a photo as you don't want to be featured on the website or social media, please mention this. Please include social media handles.
​
Special e-mail for this edition is winterbough@outlook.com Please don't use our usual e-mail.
​
e) If you have a simultaneous submission to another publication, please ensure you make this clear in your e-mail as this can cause major inconvenience if you suddenly withdraw your work. Upon acceptance with us please withdraw your work from elsewhere.
​
f) Reminders! Please only send during the submission window.
​
g) Reminder, please...no huge sized photos (eg. over 1 Mb) or long bios. Please add your Twitter handle and any other social media ID as we will showcase your work if it is accepted.
​
h) It is the editorial policy to offer feedback on essential or potential improvements to poems that are on the edge of acceptance. The editorial team will confer on borderline 'acceptance' poems. If you submit, this is what can be expected and it is intended to be constructive and increase acceptance rates. If you really don't like this, Black Bough may not be the right publication for you. Please indicate if you would like accept or reject rather than editorial suggestion.
​
i) Plagiarism, rudeness and offensive behaviour or hate speech will not be tolerated. We are trying to help poets and showcase excellent work. No sexually-explicit poetry.
​
j) If you are accepted for this edition, you are also consenting for your poem to be used in a print version and for your work to be publicised on social media. We are unable to fund contributor's copies at the moment as we are entirely self-funded and do not charge submissions fees, have patrons, grant funding, run crowdfunders, membership fees. etc. Contributor copies will be priced at an affordable level (approx. £7.50 - £9.00)
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k) You are welcome to tip us - no pressure - this helps keep our projects going and keep costs down. Our paypal username is deeptimepoetry@outlook.com or you can use the paypal link.
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We look forward to receiving your work.
Twitter: @blackboughpoems Fb: BlackBoughpoetry Instagram: Black Bough poetry
“These fragments I have shored against my ruins”
100 years of Eliot’s The Waste Land
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Inspired by the centenary of the publication of T.S. Eliot’s poem ‘The Waste Land’, Black Bough Poetry have a call out for submissions of poetry, responding to, or echoing in some way, this landmark modernist poem.
We are looking for original, unpublished imagist (or imagistic) poetry with minimal direct references to Eliot’s poem and very much firmly away from pastiche/ imitation pieces (aware that Eliot and many of the modernist writers, of course, experimented with collage and pastiche).
We wish to anthologise poetry that experiments with modernist styles but very much have a 21st century stamp on them.
We recommend you get a copy of The Waste Land and Other Poems by T. S. Eliot | Faber
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Submission window: Monday 21st November to Saturday 31st December, 2022.
Submission e-mail: deeptimepoetry@outlook.com
Anthology publishing date: TBC.
Rules/ guidance
​1) Please e-mail up to three poems in an attachment in Word. Please send a 40-word bio and a photo. State 'TS Eliot - (and your name) in the subject of the e-mail). Send to deeptimepoetry@outlook.com
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​2) We are looking for imagistic, atmospheric, impactful poems that are a maximum of 10 lines. Poems should be in English but we welcome a translation to go with the poems and also poems that combine bilingualism are welcome.
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​3) These must be previously unpublished poems. We want poets to really go for it, straying from cliché or being derivate. If the poem has been published on our sister-project @TopTweetTuesday before, it's fine to submit the poem in this window, just not pieces previously published elsewhere.
​4) We have a 'pay what you can' scheme to support our basic running costs. We have no patrons, support from a wealthy Trust, crowdfunding initiatives, funding or subscriptions. Minimum suggested tip £4.00 via Paypal (you can pay 'f and f' if you are a friend to Black Bough; see link below - paypal username deeptimepoetry@outlook.com). If you cannot afford to tip, please don't worry - submit anyway. You can also use the Ko-Fi link advertised on our social media.
5) You can also consider purchasing one of Black Bough's books - always a way to boost a press with no funding or wealthy patrons. Shop | Mysite (blackboughpoetry.com). As an indie, self-funded venture, we also really value reviews and social media boosts. We recommend a;; of our editions from the Deep Time editions to Freedom Rapture and Afterfeather. Shop | Mysite (blackboughpoetry.com)
6) We're hoping to complete by June but delays happen!
7) We reserve the right to update our conditions of this submission call at any point. All queries to Matthew. M. C. Smith, editor in chief of Black Bough Poetry.
8) We will keep the cost of contributor print copies as low as we can. This is likely to be between £6.50 to £9.00. All accepted writers will receive an e-copy. We will keep a small pool of copies for those who cannot afford a print copy.
9) Most submitters are lovely, good people. One out of a hundred can be rude and unreasonable! We will not tolerate any rudeness or harrassment to members of the team. We do this for the poetry and to energise the writing community. This should be a hassle-free zone for all involved.
10) We endeavour to respond to all submissions. If you don't hear from us within 16 weeks, please e-mail us.
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Look forward to reading your shored fragments. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Insta and FB. Why not also follow @TopTweetTuesday on Twitter, an event each week where poets share imagist poems.
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Image credit: wikicommons and wikipedia.
"Wonderful Things"
Tutankhamun
100 years since the discovery
of the Egyptian King
SUBMIT YOUR POEMS
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BETWEEN FRI 7TH OCT.
TO FRI 4TH NOVEMBER, 2022.
* NEW DATE * FRI 18TH NOV
Welcome to Black Bough Poetry's edition commemorating the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. We will be selecting poems (new guidance - and one extra piece of creative non-fiction/ flash fiction or prose piece (400 words max)) within a submission period for a print journal in 2022/23 that explore this historical event from a wide range of perspectives and that take into account cultural sensitivities.
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We are really looking for poems and creative non-fiction/ flash fiction/ prose that enthrall the reader, that take us into the ancient world in an informed, respectful and imaginative way.
Take your reader back to the Valley of the Kings, to the uncovering of the first step, the opening of the tomb and the extraordinary artefacts discovered inside. Take us back to the Kingdom with your own wondrous words.
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We look for imagist/ imagistic poetry and creative non-fiction/ flash fiction/ prose. So that's three poems and one extra prose piece.
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Submission window: Friday 7th October - Friday 4th November 2022. NOW 18TH NOVEMBER
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Submission e-mail: deeptimepoetry(at)outlook.com
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Rules/ guidance
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1) Please e-mail up to three poems in an attachment in Word. Please send a 40-word bio and a photo.
You can also send one piece of creative non-fiction/ flash fiction/ prose of up to 400 words.
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2) We are looking for imagistic, atmospheric poems that are a maximum of 10 lines. Poems should be in English but we welcome a translation to go with the poems and also poems that combine bilingualism are welcome.
You can also send one piece of creative non-fiction/ flash fiction/ prose of up to 400 words
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3) These must be previously unpublished poems, creative non-fiction/ flash fiction/ prose of up to 400 words. We want poets to really go for it, straying from cliche or being derivate. If the poem has been published on our sister-project @TopTweetTuesday before, it's fine to submit the poem in this window, just not pieces previously published.
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4) We have a 'pay what you can' scheme to support our basic running costs. We have no patrons, crowdfunding initiatives, funding or subscriptions. Minimum suggested tip £4.00 via Paypal (you can pay 'f and f' if you are a friend to Black Bough; see link below - paypal username deeptimepoetry@outlook.com). If you have little or no money, please don't worry - submit anyway. You can also use the Ko-Fi link advertised on our social media. If you are submitting the creative non-fiction/ flash fiction/ prose of up to 400 words and have already tipped, no need to again unless you are a millionaire!
5) You can also consider purchasing one of Black Bough's books - always a way to boost a press with no funding or wealthy patrons. Shop | Mysite (blackboughpoetry.com) (for this call, we recommend the Deep Time editions).
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6) We're hoping to complete by February but delays happen!
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7) We reserve the right to update our conditions of this submission call at any point. All queries to Matthew. M. C. Smith, editor in chief of Black Bough Poetry.
8) We will keep the cost of contributor print copies as low as we can. This is likely to be between £6.50 to £9.00. All accepted writers will receive an e-copy.
9) We count ourselves as a safe editing place. As an ally of minority groups (e.g. LGBTQ+, the trans community) and those with protected characteristics, we will not platform anyone who incites division, discrimination or hatred on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, disability, culture and we suggest that those who do so do not submit to our press or its affiliated projects.
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10) Most submitters are lovely, good people. We will not tolerate any rudeness or harrassment to member of the team. We do this for the poetry and to energise the writing community. This should be a hassle-free zone for all involved.
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11) We endeavour to respond to all submissions. If you don't hear from us within 8 weeks, please e-mail.
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Look forward to reading your wonderful work.
(Tutankhamun image from Wikipedia)
We have an open-themed, online (and potentially print) edition for the summer 2022. We welcome our first ever Guest Editor, North Wales-based writer, Briony Collins (author of 'Blame it on Me' and All that Glisters' with Broken Sleep Books), who is the editor of Cape Magazine. This is a special moment for Black Bough, handing the reins over for the issue to an amazing writer/ editor and friend.
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Briony will be choosing her favourite imagistic poems from Top Tweet Tuesday on Tuesday 5th July, 2022. That is the only way to submit for this edition and the only submission window for this edition.
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Rules/ Guidance
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1) Submission of one poem only posted on Twitter on @TopTweetTuesday
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2) We are looking for imagistic, atmospheric poems that are a maximum of 20 lines. Poems should be in English but we welcome a translation to go with the poem and also poems that combine bilingualism. .
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3) These must be new, inventive, previously unpublished poems. We want poets to really go for it, straying from cliche or being derivate. If the poem has been published on @TopTweetTuesday before, that's fine, but NOT published anywhere else.
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4) We have a 'pay what you can' scheme, if you wish to tip our hardworking Guest Editor, Briony Collins and support our basic running costs. Minimum suggested tip £2.50 via Paypal (you can pay 'f and f' if you are a friend to Black Bough; see link below - paypal username deeptimepoetry@outlook.com). If you have little or no money, please don't worry - just submit. You can also use the Ko-Fi link advertised on our social media. You could also consider purchasing one of Briony's books or Black Bough's - always a way to boost a writer and a press with no funding or millionaire backers!
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5) Our Guest editor, Briony Collins, will choose her favourite poems and collate them in an online edition. We may embark on a print edition if time and finances allow!
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6) We're hoping to complete the online edition within 4 weeks. Briony will contact accepted writers for 50 word bios.
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7) We reserve the right to update our conditions of this submission at any point. All queries to Matthew. M. C. Smith, editor in chief of Black Bough Poetry.
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8) If we publish the edition in print, there will be a basic cost for the book but this will be under £10.00. We hope this will be around £8.00. The online version will be free.
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SUMMER 2022
OPEN-THEMED EDITION
The Dai Fry Award for Mystical Poetry
Deadline:
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Sunday 5th June, 2022.
To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of Welsh, Swansea poet, Dai Fry, Black Bough poems are proud to announce a poetry competition in memory of the author of 'Under Photon Crowns'.
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Dai Fry, originally from Tycoch in Swansea, took up poetry in retirement. In a four year period, he produced a body of electrically-vivid, metaphysical poetry taking in the awe of the cosmos, the power of mythologies and the charged atmosphere of place and landscape . Read about Dai and his work here
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We are looking for poets from anywhere and everywhere to submit one, mystical, short poem that will blow our minds. The judging panel are Swansea poets Polly Oliver and Matthew M. C. Smith, and our guest judge, Min Tabb, Dai's wife. We're very pleased that Min is involved in this contest.
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We recommend that you get yourself a copy of Under Photon Crowns and read our previous publications, such as Deep Time 1 and Deep Time 2 to delve further into the modern mythic mystic.
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Rules/ Guidance
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1) Submission of one poem only. DEADLINE midnight UK time, Sunday 5th June, 2022.
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2) We are looking for imagistic, atmospheric poems that are a maximum of ten lines. Poems should be in English but we welcome a translation to go with the poem and also poems that combine bilingualism. Some explanation for the judges may be need, which could go in your poem attachment or body of the e-mail.
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3) These must be new, inventive, previously unpublished poems. We want poets to really go for it, straying from cliche or being derivate. Inspire us, terrify us, grip our imaginations. So that the contest is fair, the poems must ne completely unpublished (including not being published online). We read widely!
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4) We have a 'pay what you can' scheme, which will cover the cost of the prizes and, most importantly, coffee for the judges. Minimum suggested tip £2.00 via Paypal (you can pay 'f and f' if you are a friend to Black Bough; see link below - paypal username deeptimepoetry@outlook.com). Let us know if you gave something so we can say a proper thanks. You can also use the Ko-Fi link advertised on our social media.
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5) Prize money to be announced - a minimum of £50.00 for first prize and a commemorative prize. Two runner-up prizes to be announced.
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6) Please send your poem in a Word attachment (without your name in the attachment) to blackboughpoetry@outlook.com You should receive an auto-reply e-mail and the results of the contest will be on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in June 2022. Please give your name and tell us about yourself in the e-mail.
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7) Shortlisted and winning poems will be featured on social media and published in a future Black Bough poetry edition.
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8) We reserve the right to update our conditions of the contest at any point. All queries to Matthew. M. C. Smith, editor of Black Bough Poetry.
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Polly Oliver is a broadcast journalist and a twice Pushcart-prize nominated writer. See Polly's Silver Branch feature here.
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Matthew M. C. Smith is a Best of the Net nominated writer and the editor of Black Bough Poetry.
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It's an honour that Min has agreed to be our guest judge.
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Good luck! We're very excited about this new initiative!
And we know that on the mystic plane Dai is loving it too.
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Min Tabb, Guest Judge
Polly Oliver, Guest Judge
Matthew M. C. Smith, Chief Mystic.
2-day submission window
* This submission period is now closed
Christmas/ Winter 2022/23
Following on from our Christmas/ winter print edition 2020/21, and Christmas/ Winter 2021/22 we will be publishing a new, third volume for Christmas 2022/23. It's one of the highlights of the year and we welcome poems on all cultural and folk traditions around this time of year (Diwali, solstice, Hannukah, Mari Lwyd, etc.)
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The editorial team is Matthew M. C. Smith (Editor), Damien B. Donnelly and M.S. Evans (sub-editors).
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The submission period when we will accept your work is Saturday January 29th January 2022 to Sunday 30th January 2022 (only 2 days) Poems before or after this date are highly unlikely to be read or responded to given our capacity.
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If you are already accepted in next year's edition, please do not submit on this occasion.
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You can expect a response from us by 30th June, 2022 (within 5 months) but hopefully earlier.
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We look for imagistic, suggestive poems, following the idea of 'less is more' and publish vivid poems that avoid cliché and have subtlety. We recommend that you purchase and read our previous editions before submitting and also read up on imagism. Narrative poems are rarely published here. We strongly recommend you obtain a copy of either or both Christmas/ winter editions which are available on Amazon. You'll get a very clear idea of the different styles of poems we publish and will get inspired!
Usual submission guidelines:
​
a) Poets are invited to submit three micro/ short poems. These must be previously unpublished.
​
b) The poems should not exceed ten lines long. Please send in Garamond font, size 12, in the submission window. We welcome bilingual versions of the same poem (eg. Welsh and English versions).
​
c) We’d prefer punctuated poems but it's not essential.
​
d) Please send a short biography (up to 200 characters (to fit Twitter) - not 200 words!) and a photo (less than 500kb) and your poems in Microsoft Word by attachment. If you do not wish to send a photo as you don't want to be featured on the website or social media, please mention this. Please include social media handles.
​
Special e-mail for this edition is winterbough@outlook.com Please don't use our usual e-mail.
​
e) If you have a simultaneous submission to another publication, please ensure you make this clear in your e-mail as this can cause major inconvenience if you suddenly withdraw your work. Upon acceptance with us please withdraw your work from elsewhere.
​
f) Reminders! Please only send during the submission window.
​
g) Reminder, please...no huge sized photos (eg. over 1 Mb) or long bios. Please add your Twitter handle and any other social media ID as we will showcase your work if it is accepted.
​
h) It is the editorial policy to offer feedback on essential or potential improvements to poems that are on the edge of acceptance. The editorial team will confer on borderline 'acceptance' poems. If you submit, this is what can be expected and it is intended to be constructive and increase acceptance rates. If you really don't like this, Black Bough may not be the right publication for you. Please indicate if you would like accept or reject rather than editorial suggestion.
​
i) Plagiarism, rudeness and offensive behaviour or hate speech will not be tolerated. We are trying to help poets and showcase excellent work. No sexually -explicit poetry.
​
j) If you are accepted for this edition, you are also consenting for your poem to be used in a print version and for your work to be publicised on social media. We are unable to fund contributor's copies at the moment as we are entirely self-funded and do not charge submissions fees, have patrons, grant funding, run crowdfunders, membership fees. etc. Contributor copies will be priced at an affordable level (approx. £7.50)
​
We look forward to receiving your work. We're likely to have in excess of 300-500 poems to read and respond to so 30th June is a realistic date to expect an answer.
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Twitter: @blackboughpoems Fb: BlackBoughpoetry
Instagram: Black Bough poetry
