#0080 The Dating Game! (For Poets)
How to pair your work with places that will appreciate it, Part One
[Announcer] Welcome back to season 2 of The Dating Game! Publishing Edition, where creatives seek out the best matches for their work.
In this episode, we have invited three poets in search of places where their poems will be treasured, not tortured. These contestants will quiz the three mystery publishers to figure out which might be their “just right” publications. Now, let’s get the show started!
[The Dating Game! host] Thanks, Announcer!
Our first contestant hails from New England, where one of her favorite poets, Robert Frost, resided. Once she discovered the constraints of formal poetry — including sonnets and sestinas — the words just “flowed from the fountain pen.” Please welcome to the show… Dear Poetress!
[Contestant #1, DP] Thank you for having me.
[host] Of course, of course! Please share with us, Dear Poetress, a little about your current creative work you’re wanting to submit as well as how familiar you are with the crazy world of publishing!
[DP] I have 12 poems ready for submission. All follow strict metric and rhyme but not all are the same type. Sonnets, ballads, and villanelles are forms represented in this group. The topics are wide ranging, from the death of a friend to the first blooming of love to our purpose on earth. I have been published more than nine times and would like to extend the list of literary journal publications in my third-person biography.
[host] Wow! Very clear and precise, Dear Poetress.
We’ve now brought out our three eligible publishers, who remain anonymous behind the screen. They are awaiting your questions, Dear Poetress!
[DP] This question is for all three. Would you prefer to take me out for a gourmet dinner and ballroom dancing or watch Netflix with delivery pizza on your couch?
[Publisher #1] We intend to… Share poems that contain beautifully strange imagery and language that also avoid becoming impenetrable. Poems that find the seam and take root. Seek poetry from the most diverse a group of poets possible. Publish on a website designed to foreground the poem on the page. Make it as easy as possible for poets to submit their work.
[Publisher #2] While we encourage rhymed verse in traditional forms, we also accept finely wrought free verse. You can read past issues for free to get a good idea of what we like.
[Publisher #3] We were founded in 1995 in order to publish both emerging and established writers and, by doing so, encourage them in the development of their craft. By publishing the finest short stories, poems, photographs, and essays we hope to provide readers with work that stimulates, entertains, and inspires.
[DP] Publisher #3, You sound distinguished and respected. Do you play hard to get?
[Pub #3] We accept 4.4% of poetry submissions.
[DP] Publisher #1, From your first answer, I am guessing you prefer poetic types. How long after we meet for coffee would you want to take me out again?
[Pub #1] We publish online 52 x per year.
[DP] Publisher #2, I invest so much into every potential match. How might you recognize my efforts?
[Pub #2] Three poems in each recent issue were nominated for the Pushcart prize. Additionally, two poems received an award with a monetary prize. First place, $50.00 (USD), and second place, $30.00.
[host] Alrighty, Dear Poetress! Now that you’ve had a chance to think on those answers… Please tell us: Which of these eligible publishers do you want to try to date?
[DP] After carefully considering their answers, I’ve decided to try Publisher #2 — because of the emphasis on traditional forms as well as potential prize nominations and monetary award — and Publisher #3, which is probably a reach but worth trying.
[host] Wonderful, Dear Poetress!1 We wish you much success!
And… we’re back with our second contestant. mx poet writes autobiographical poems about their queer identity and how it intersects with being neurodivergent in a Black body as well as life in a major metropolitan city. They list Terrance Hayes and Ocean Vuong as influential poets. Please welcome to the show… mx poet!
[Contestant #2, mp] glad to be here.
[host] mx poet, tell us about the creative projects ready for submission and your experiences with publishing!
[mp] i started out in poetry slams, sharing my truth. early on, when i tried to get some of my work published, i didn’t have the money for submission fees and was locked out. now i know to request fee waivers and look for places that want to uplift all of us. my identity poems are political. i search for publishers that align with the causes i care about. emily stoddard’s poetry bulletin is a great place to learn more.
i let my creativity take me in lots of directions. slam is about the physical theater of poetry, so some of my projects are video based. i express through art, through song. multimedia sometimes. i also am trying formal poetry like terrance hayes.
[host] Wow! Very expansive, mx poet.
We’ve now brought out a new group of three eligible publishers. They are awaiting your questions, mx poet!
[mp] tell me straight: are you open to experimentation? going outside your comfort zone? for all of you.
[Pub #1] We are a literary magazine specializing in LGBTQIA+ and feminist topics. Our goal is to excite readers. We welcome the uncomfortable and controversial. New, bold, and proud writers and artists should find their home here.
[Pub #2] We are committed to publishing pieces that engage with tension, introspection, empathy, considered positionality, thoughtful form play, emotional courage, and musicality. We are equally committed to uplifting voices from all corners in hopes of breaking down ideas of who is widely read and rebelling against normative power structures that stifle expression.
[Pub #3] We are an online literary journal that endeavors to uplift and platform emerging and established poets. The world is eager for poets. In 2016, more people spent their hard-earned money on poetry books than in any other year on record. When times are dark, the world often turns to poets for insight and for language reanimated. We are here to paint our small part of the world with truth through poetry, as imaginative, eviscerating, and provoking as truth can be.
[mp] publisher #1, you sound like a potential match. i am amazing. how will you feature me to my best advantage when we’re out on the town?
[Pub #1] Print Publication. No free copy. No monetary payment. We will submit a select few to nominate for Pushcart Prize.
[mp] publisher #2, i also rebel against norms. whisper sweet nothings in my ear.
[Pub #2] We are serious about representing the literary scene and supporting diverse and underrepresented voices. We want to hear from women, people of color, queer and trans writers, and every community who pushes our world away from the oppressive status quo. This is our commitment to literature; hold us to that standard.
[mp] i like your commitment to my communities. Tell me what you want.
[Pub #2] We want vivid, vibrant poetry. We like prose poems or straight poetry with prose elements. We like traditional poetry.
[mp] publisher #3, you mentioned hard-earned money. what am i worth?
[Pub #3] Professional rate. Details: USD $50 per poem, up to $150.
[mp] excellent. tell me how you seek me out in a crowd.
[Pub #3] We are open to submissions of any poetry without content or form restrictions. We offer free submissions for BIPOC or writers from other historically marginalized backgrounds for every contest. For writers from historically marginalized groups, we have a quick response category that is always open to submissions.
[host] Okay, mx poet! Please tell us: Which of these eligible publishers do you want to try to date?
[mp] at first i was attracted to publisher #1, but they aren’t lifting me up with payment or even a complimentary copy of the print publication. so, no. i’m headed to publisher #3. if i decide to revise some of my poems to have more prose presentation, i might also go toward publisher #2.
[host] That’s great, mx poet!2 We wish you much success!
We’re back with our third and final contestant for this episode. Having first encountered poetry just last year in a high school English class that read Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X, this aspiring poet is new to the world of publishing. She “likes Mary Oliver poems.” Please welcome to the show… Green Poet!
[Contestant #3, GP] ty
[host] Okay… Green Poet, please share with us a little about your current creative work you’re wanting to submit!
[GP] My current creative work? poems.
[host] What are your poems about, Green Poet? Any unifying themes? Or perhaps you prefer a certain form of poetry, acrostic, say, or tanka?
[GP] My poems are on nature themes, like Mary Oliver’s.
[host] Very good, very good.
We’ve now brought out another new group of three eligible publishers. You may start asking questions, Green Poet!
[GP] How long do each of you wait before returning my text message?
[Pub #1] Average response: 77.8 days.
[Pub #2] Average response: 5.6 days. (We charge submission fees.)
[Pub #3] Average response: 10.9 days.
[GP] Are you all okay going with someone less experienced?
[Pub #1] We encourage emerging and established writers and want to publish work from throughout the United States and around the world. We are a literary annual that invites traditional or experimental work reflecting passion, originality, artistic conviction, and a love affair with language.
[Pub #2] We are an independent, international, free-access literary journal.
[Pub #3] Through writing, painting, and sculpting, we weave worlds and evoke strong emotions, inviting readers to embark on magical journeys. Like the daffodil symbolizing renewal, our art signifies resilience and new beginnings even in the darkest times.
[GP] Polyamorous? Monogamous? Bisexual? Questioning?
[Pub #1] We publish poetry, flash fiction, and translations.
[Pub #2] We discover and publish the finest poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction.
[Pub #3] This journal celebrates all forms of creative expression: art, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, paintings, and sculptures.
[host] Well, that was quite a question round, Green Poet! Please tell us: Which of these eligible publishers do you want to try to date?
[GP] Not sure. Did the producers remember I write poetry? About nature?
[host] Yes, yes. The names of the three mystery publishers align with nature and poetry.
[GP] Hmmm… I don’t want to pay (#2), but I also don’t want to wait 4 ever (#1).
ooohhh… #1 was the only one to mention emerging writers, code for newb. That’s me.
I like that #3 said daffodil.
I guess? Maybe? I’ll try #3. If I get a rejection, I’ll then try #1. Maybe #2 is more about nature? Maybe I shouldn’t say no because of the money? idk. Maybe my poems aren’t ready. Maybe I shouldn’t have come on this show at all…
[host] Uh… It’s okay, Green Poet. When we’ve wrapped, one of the producers will help you gather more information about the three publishers, such as whether they are fledging publications, which often have higher acceptance rates, and read previous issues to determine if the publishers tend to select poems about nature. And, uh… perhaps the producers didn’t select the absolute best potential matches for you? With the thousands of publishers out there, it can be a bit overwhelming! Does that sounds like a plan, Green Poet?3
[GP] k
[Announcer] And that’s The End of this episode of The Dating Game! Publishing Edition, where creatives seek out the best matches for their work.
As season two continues… We will feature new contestants, including a memoirist and a food blogger. Be sure to tune in!
Next time: The Dating Game! (for Creative Nonfiction)
I invented the character of Dear Poetress after indulging in several historical fiction murder mystery audiobook series. She received valid answers as of the first weekend of April 2025 via Duotrope as well as the websites of: #1 Stone Circle Review, #2 The Orchards Poetry Journal, and #3 Chicago Quarterly Review.
mx poet is a composite based on ridiculous supporting characters from late 20th-century tv shows. They were interviewing #1 Troublemaker Firestarter, #2 Sundog Lit, and #3 Palette Poetry.
Some of Green Poet’s too-brief comments might be reminiscent of texts from my teen? (idk; yac; nvm; lk) Valid info from #1 RHINO Poetry, #2 Sky Island Journal, and #3 Cosmic Daffodil Journal.
Brilliant and hilarious! Can’t wait for the next episode.
i know most of us would just like to get published, but is anyone else concerned about print only journals? it's so easy to access work that's online and in print, but the print only journals, even though i love paper and reading on paper, who'll even know the work exists after a time?
but the piece was pretty relevant, fit and timing seem important and more background on a journal than less seems needed these days...but is it fit or aspiration, like an old pontiac fits, but is a new ford what we should be looking for?
looking forward to the cnf version