Submit 📣
Submit 📣
So you want to be featured on Poetry Trapper Keeper?!? That’s hot!!!🔥
No matter if you’re a poetry baby (who’s never been published before) or a poetry mommy (with a big upcoming book deal), there are 3 main ways you can get “published” on Poetry Trapper Keeper:
💞 Share with PTK: Become a PFF (Poetry Friend Forever)
📖 Get Published on PTK: Open Calls & Zines
🏠 Take Over PTK: Squatters
Keep scrolling for more info…
1. Share with PTK: Become a PFF (Poetry Friend 4Ever) 💞
Anyone can become a PFF, all you have to do is pass us a note from your metaphorical Trapper Keeper!
If this is the first time you’re hearing the word “poetry” OR if you’ve been secretly jotting lines into your notes app for years, this could be your chance to push past your stage fright and become the hot poet you were always meant to be! 🤩
So go ahead, drop that poem to your ex, your boss, your dad, etc. into our collective Poetry Trapper Keeper!! You can do so by:
Commenting on our Substack posts (using your real name or anonymously, no judgment here!)
Interacting with our instagram: where we often share prompts, questions, & repost your work (only with your consent ofc)
Emailing us. Don’t want your ex to know you’re writing about them? We love gossip! Send it to poetrytrapperkeeper@gmail.com. This way, your work remains private, but you’re not screaming into the void alone (we will read it with care, and probably respond with enthusiasm… or tears)
2. Get Published on PTK: Open Calls & Zines 📣 📖
Earn the right to add “published poet” to your tinder bio.
At PTK, we don’t care if you’ve been published five million times or if you’ve only ever written one piece - we want to see your work!
About Our Zines 📖
In 2023, we opened up our poetry ping pong match to our first-ever open call for submissions!
This allowed us to publish four zines featuring the work from a pack of hot poets from different backgrounds, identities, and career trajectories. For some, this was their first-ever published piece, for others, this was yet another feather in a long and fabulous cap!
You can check out their amazing contributions here:
About Our Open Calls 📣
To get featured in our zines, you will have to submit your work to one of our open calls. Here’s what to expect in our submissions process…
🗓️ Before you Submit: Clear announcements on open call timelines, so you can pencil it into your planner well in advance!
📝 During the Open Call: Transparency and reliable communication on the status of your piece (i.e. your poem will not be gobbled up by the open call black hole!)
☎️ If accepted: Open lines of communication and collaboration with the PTK team (i.e. you are actively involved in how we portray your work). Plus, your work will be promoted on our growing Substack newsletter and our instagram page!
🌟 Once published: Invitations to read at future PTK events and an official “Published Hot Poet” certificate (with all the bragging rights it entails).
When is the next open call? 🔔
Poetry Trapper Keeper is currently CLOSED for submissions.
BUT we should be opening again for submissions in the Fall of 2023! You should subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on instagram to get notified about our next open call.
3. Take Over PTK: Squatters 🏠
Make our home into your Barbie Dream House.
At least twice a year, we invite one of our besties to take over PTK for a month.
PTK squatting is an opportunity for more experienced writers and artists (who may feel constrained by the parameters of the traditional publishing world) to flex their creative freedom with a broad audience of hot people who read poetry. And don’t forget - we’re cool poets, not regular poets - so there are no rules here.
Graduates of our Squatter Program 🎓
How to Become a Squatter 🏠
If you or someone you know would be a good fit for this program, you sould:
Email us your elevator pitch to poetrytrapperkeeper@gmail.com 💌
Pssst! It also helps to drop some responses to our prompts in the comments of our Substack or our instagram DM’s, so we can see if our poetry ping-pong match is vibey!
Anyway, we can’t wait to see your work!! 💖💚