Broadsided seeks poetry and prose that is evocative, riveting, and not too esoteric. Broadsides are out on the streets, and we hope that they compel all kinds of people to stop, read, and consider. We want them to draw in readers, not push them away. That said, we want smart, difficult work. Work that challenges and speaks strongly.
Who have we published? You can browse our archives or see an alphabetic list of authors or list of artists with links to their publications. We have published acclaimed writers like Jane Hirshfield and Jericho Brown; we have also proudly been the first publication for as-yet-unpublished writers.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS/PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK: We are glad to accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere. We only consider unpublished work.
RESPONSE TIME: We meet as an editorial team to review submissions twice a year, generally in December and June.
PUBLICATION TIME: We publish a folio of 5-8 broadsides twice a year, in November and April. Usually the work accepted at our editorial meeting (see above) is published in the subsequent folio. If you have timeline issues (eg: a book in which your submitted poem will be published) please let us know. We'll do our best to work with you.
UPON ACCEPTANCE: A Broadsided artist will respond to your work visually, and then your poem/story/essay will be Broadsided (made into a unique visual/literary document). The artists involved with this project are all talented individuals in whom the editors have both faith and confidence. Because our goal is to have the Broadside be a commingling of literary and visual art, we want to give the artists as much freedom as possible. Therefore, you will not be in correspondence with the artist during the process. Sit back and see what happens!
You will be expected to answer questions for our "Collaborators' Q&A" feature and to email us a photo of your Broadsided Press collaboration up in your community, preferably with you in the image. We want you to be part of putting words and art on the streets.
FEES: To cover operational costs, we must charge a $3 fee for each submission. If, for reasons of financial hardship, you cannot afford to pay the submission fee, please send us an email at broadsided at gmail dot com.
SUPPORT: If you'd like to bump up your contribution and help us, we would be grateful for your donation. Broadsided is a 501(c)3 entity, and your donations are tax-deductible. They go toward website fees, emailing services, and promotions such as postcards, a table at a conference, and the like. We do not, at this time, pay staff or contributors for their work, though we hope to in the future.
LESS IS MORE:
Submit your 25-line (or less) poems (3-5 at the most, please).
For our format--one sheet of paper, designed to be read by someone strolling by--short pieces work best. It gives us more space to play with design, more rest for the eye, a more open invitation to passsers-by.
BIOS
Please include a bio in your cover letter. The pdf bio will be quite short, but we can put a longer note online.
LESS IS MORE:
Submit your 300 words of prose (or less). You may submit up to 3 short pieces.
For our format (on one sheet of paper, designed to be read by someone strolling by) short pieces work best. It gives us more space to play with design, more rest for the eye, a more open invitation to passersby.
We know that a snippet of story or essay cannot convey the full complexity of your work. Although the published broadside will have at the most 300 words, we are more than happy to put the rest of your text online. If you choose to send a story in its entirety, please begin with the section that you think is appropriate to broadside.
BIOS
Please include a bio in your cover letter. The published Broadsided bio will be quite short, but we can put a longer note online.
Seeking Writing
Submit a poem/flash prose of 30 lines/200 words (or less) responding to one of the four prompts below.
We will select four (or more) to publish as broadsides alongside the notebook pages artists have provided (you may indicate in your submission cover letter which notebook inspired your poem, but we will determine the pairings).
Prompt 1: "I Am Not a Robot" Begin with this title, offered to so many of us, so often. How can you convince us?
Prompt 2: "Only I can see ___" The authority of the individual is a press against the "generality" and "aggregate" of AI. What can only you see?
Prompt 3: HOMOPUNKT: This more technical prompt asks you to send us work using only one kind of punctuation, and to use too much of it. (Homo = one; Punct = punctuation; K = Punk). Is it the.... , the \\\\\ the ((((, the ????, or even the ‽ ‽ ‽ ‽? AI would not want you to use such crazy-excessive stuff, use it!
Prompt 4: What’s on your Golden Record? Send us an Epistolary poem to alien life. The Golden Record was sent into space on the NASA Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. Launched in 1977, it sought to connect, in a human way, with other life. What would you send?
Dates & Guidelines
Deadline: December 15, 2025
Submit via Submittable: While we ask for a $3 entry fee, which goes wholly toward keeping Broadsided (an all-volunteer operation) running, we would like to make sure as many people as possible can be invited to share their voices. We are making the submission fee for this special feature voluntary. If you can afford to support this work, thank you.
Once we’ve selected a folio of writing to publish, we’ll work with our editorial team and designers to pair writing and art and design them into a broadside. It’s our hope to release the broadsides on January 12, 2026, fresh for the spring term and all the thinking, feeling, creating, and human connections it will bring.
You can see previous Broadsided Responds folios here.
See the full Call for Submissions here.