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How to Publish a Christian Poem

The grand tradition of Christian poetry, from St. Ephraim to William Cowper, George Herbert to T.S. Eliot, is as old as Christianity itself. For Christians, putting faith into language is a way of following in the footsteps of Jesus, because Christ himself is the Incarnate Word of God. If you are a Christian and a poet, there are many journals, collections and websites that accept submissions.

Instructions

    • 1

      Research submission guidelines. Each journal has its own rules for the kinds of work it accepts and for how the work must be formatted and submitted. Some journals, for example, emphasize geographical or denominational perspectives, others have word limits or only publish content that is seasonally appropriate. Submission guidelines can be found on the journal's website.

    • 2

      Find the journal that is the best match for your work. You can read content from the journals either by ordering sample copies or from what is available on the website. Try to find a match between your style, form, perspective and interests, and the contributors featured in the journal. For example, a journal that is focused on spirituality and the arts probably isn't a good match for a long poem about the Heidelberg Catechism. Likewise, submitting a poem about an imaginary encounter between Rumi and St. John of the Cross would likely not fit the style of a journal with a primarily Mennonite focus.

    • 3

      Submit your work to any of the following journals: Image, Spiritus, Relief, Commonweal, St Katherine Review, The Cresset.

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