The Marrow is open for submissions in March, July and November each year. Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting. They have changed slightly since Issue Two.

IMPORTANT: For reasons of fairness and sustainability we ask that you do not submit work to consecutive issues of The Marrow regardless of whether you have had a poem accepted or not.

What we’re looking for…

We welcome poetry submissions written in—or translated into—English, from Australian and international poets, whether established, emerging or somewhere in between. We’re looking for accessible writing with close attention to craft and language. We appreciate innovation, whether a twist on the traditional or something more radical. We welcome diversity of style, form and subject. We are more interested in the poem, and what it changes in the reader, than in the poet. The best way to get a sense of what we publish is to read a previous issue. Send us your best work—free verse or pantoum, sonnet or prose poem, sestina or haibun, or your own unique creation.

Submission guidelines

  • We accept submissions during March (for the June issue), July (for the October issue) and November (for the February issue) via our submissions form only, which will be available on this page throughout the submission window. We may close before the end of the period if we receive our maximum number of submissions sooner, so it’s best to submit early. Submissions sent via email or outside the submission window will not be read. 

  • Please send one submission of up to three unpublished* poems, four pages maximum, as one attachment. Word doc preferred, or pdf if the form is complicated. 

  • Each poem should start on a new page. Poems can be any length, but please do not send more than four pages in total. To keep the journal sustainable, submissions exceeding three poems / four pages will not be read.

  • Poems should be single-spaced, 12-point font unless the form calls for variations.

  • Please include your name as it will appear with the poem, your email address, and a short biographical statement (up to 50 words) in your submission form.

  • Translations must have permission from the original author (or their estate).

  • We welcome simultaneous submissions, but ask that you let us know immediately via email if your work has been accepted elsewhere.

  • We do not currently accept prose, flash or micro-fiction, essays or reviews. 

  • Submitted work must be the original work of the author.

  • We do not accept work written  (fully or partially) by AI.

    *Unpublished, in this instance, means work which has not previously appeared online (text or audio) or in print for a public audience (including writers’ websites, blogs or social media pages). Poems may have appeared in private workshops / writing groups or have been read at live events and open mics, provided the recordings are not available publicly.

Our process

  • At The Marrow we believe in paying authors and offer to pay AU$40 per acceptance. 

  • We will email all poets who submitted work regarding acceptances, but cannot offer feedback on unsuccessful submissions. We appreciate that waiting can be tedious and we will respond within 8 weeks of the closing date.

  • For reasons of fairness and sustainability we ask that you do not submit work to consecutive issues of The Marrow regardless of whether you have had a poem accepted or not.

  • Copyright remains with the original author at all times.