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â PTK is Open for Submissions - THEMED OPEN CALL! â
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Poetry Trapper Keeper will be open for submissions from March 8th - May 8th, 2026 (or, until we hit our reading cap).
We are only accepting submissions through our submission platform. Email submissions will not be read.
We want previously unpublished, original work. No AI-generated material, thank you next. Our definition of published is if it has been previously selected by an editor and/or coven of tastemakers. If youâve published your poem on your blog, social media, or whispered it to your crush on a whim, we consider that unpublished work, so feel free to send it our way (maybe tell us where youâve shared it before so we get the vibe).
Submissions can be simultaneous as long as you disclose.
Submissions must be primarily in English, but can have non-English languages in text with or without translation.
Multiple submissions by the same author(s) in different categories is okay, but not in the same category; we will only consider your first submission in the each category.
Collaborative work is cool, just let us know if itâs from more than one person we should credit. Collaborations with AI do not count as collaborations. Put your chatbot away! Hold hands with a human!
Submission Categories:
Poetry
One poem, 1-3 pages only.
Work with experimental/hard to replicate formatting is welcome but will be considered only if we can come up with a publishing plan with the poet!
Fiction & Nonfiction
Preferred length is 1000-2000 words. Submissions that are 2000-3000 words will be read but will only be published if exceptional.
Submissions beyond 3000 will not be read.
Comics
Preferred length is 1-5 pages.
Color ok! Though keep in mind depending on final publication format we might not be able to replicate full color work.
What else do I need to know?
This issue will be accepting anonymous submissions.
To ensure fairness in the selection process, please do not include your name in your submission (this includes in the FILE NAME!!!).
Please save your submissions as CATEGORY_TITLE.
You should include the name youâd like to be published under in your cover letter!
Selected work will be published digitally on PoetryTrapperKeeper.com. Once selected will work with you to ensure the work goes out in a way which feels right to you.
If youâve never been published before, thatâs totally fine! We do not take publication history into account when selecting work.
We would love to publish a one-off physical issue. This is yet to be confirmed. If selected we will contact you with options and you will have a right to an opinion on any future printing (though we will use a majority vote and analysis of viability as an ultimate deciding factor).
If you get selected for publication on PTK, we wonât âownâ the first rights to your work (like most publications do). We donât believe in owning anyoneâs creative work for any amount of time. This means if your same piece gets republished elsewhere in the future, we donât require you to credit us as the original publisher. You can if you want to, & we would love you for it, but you do you.
Either way, all copy and publication rights of the work will remain yours.
If you have questions you may DM us on IG or email poetrytrapperkeeper@gmail.com; however, due to time constraints we may not answer you in time. Please submit anyway! If your submission needs to change based on our own late answer we might allow you to resubmit.
Submissions that donât follow these guidelines wonât be read or responded to (sorry).
So you want to be featured on Poetry Trapper Keeper?!? Thatâs hot!!!đ„
No matter if youâre a poetry baby (whoâs never been published before) or a poetry mommy (with a big upcoming book deal), there are 3 main ways you can get âpublishedâ on Poetry Trapper Keeper:
đ Share with PTK: Become a PFF (Poetry Friend Forever)
đ Get Published on PTK: Open Calls & Zines
đ Take Over PTK: Squatters
Keep scrolling for more infoâŠ
1. Share with PTK: Become a PFF (Poetry Friend 4Ever) đ
Anyone can become a PFF, all you have to do is pass us a note from your metaphorical Trapper Keeper!Â
If this is the first time youâre hearing the word âpoetryâ OR if youâve 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! đ€©
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)Â Â
Emailing us. Donât want your ex to know youâre writing about them? We love gossip! Send it to poetrytrapperkeeper@gmail.com. This way, your work remains private, but youâre 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 đŁ đ
Earn the right to add âpublished poetâ to your tinder bio.
At PTK, we donât care if youâve been published five million times or if youâve only ever written one piece - we want to see your work! Â
About Our Zines đ
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 đŁ
To get featured in our zines, you will have to submit your work to one of our open calls. Hereâs what to expect in our submissions processâŠ
đïž Before you Submit: Clear announcements on open call timelines, so you can pencil it into your planner well in advance! Â
đ 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!)
âïž 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!
đ Once published: Invitations to read at future PTK events and an official âPublished Hot Poetâ certificate (with all the bragging rights it entails).
If you get selected for publication on PTK, we won't "own" the first rights to your work (like most publications do). We don't believe in owning anyone's creative work for any amount of time. This means, if you get your same work republished elsewhere in the future, we donât require you to credit us as the original publisher. You can if you want to, but you do you. Either way, all copyright and publication rights of the work will remain yours.Â
Currently, we cannot offer compensation for publication. We are hoping, as we grow, that we will be able to do so in the future! (First hot people read poetry co-op, anyone?)
When is the next open call? đ
Poetry Trapper Keeper is currently OPEN for submissions.
BUT we should be opening again for submissions in 2024! You should subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on instagram to get notified about our next open call.
3. Take Over PTK: Residents đ
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 Residency 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 donât forget - weâre cool poets, not regular poets - so there are no rules here.
Graduates of our Residency Program đ
How to Become a Resident đ
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 đ
Pssst! It also helps to drop some responses to our prompts in the comments of our Substack or our instagram DMâs, so we can see if our poetry ping-pong match is vibey!
Anyway, we canât wait to see your work!! đđ