Guest editor Charles Rammelkamp will choose the 5-2 Poem of the Week for July 8-14, 2013 from submissions received April 15–June 15, 2013. Email submissions to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM with the subject line, "5-2 Poetry for Rammelkamp". A total of five poems may be submitted per person during this period. If you submit more than five poems, only the first five will be considered. I will forward the poems to Rammelkamp in a batch on June 16, and will notify all poets by July 1, 2013. Aside from the submission limit, the usual guidelines apply. Regular submissions will be accepted at the same time.Each Monday, The 5-2 publishes an original poem in text and audio/video.
Submissions open year-round: Honest, powerful reactions to what you see as crime. 60 lines or fewer per poem. Open to any form or style, including free verse and prose poem. Open to any tone (dark, light, serious, humorous) that rings true.
Original, unpublished work only. No simultaneous submissions. If the work has appeared anywhere in print or online—including personal blogs, critique groups, message boards, and anything similar—I cannot accept it for The 5-2.
Before submitting, you may want to read some archived poems, this Q&A, or these writing advice posts.
When you're ready, email G_SO at YAHOO dot COM, subject line: "5-2 Poetry: Title(s) of your work"
In the email body, include a bio for publication and the legal statement: "I certify that I am the author of this unpublished work. If accepted, I grant Gerald So first worldwide rights to publish it on the 5-2 website and nonexclusive worldwide electronic reprint rights to include it in applicable 5-2 ebook."
Paste poem(s) into the email body or attach as a Word .doc.
If I take longer than four weeks to respond, you're free to remind me or to withdraw your submission.
Upon acceptance, I ask for a .jpg photo and "signed confession"—up to fifty words about what inspired your poem. I also ask for an audio/video recording; you may make your own file, record on my dedicated voicemail, or let a 5-2 performer record for you.
I seek the right to publish your poem for the first time anywhere and nonexclusive worldwide electronic reprint rights toward an ebook of the fifty-two poems and confessions published in a given year. Before the ebook is released, I ask for updated bios. All poets included in the ebook receive a free copy of the ebook.
I archive poems on the site, but after the week of first publication, you may submit your poem elsewhere for reprint consideration or ask me to remove it from the archives. If your poem is reprinted, I'd appreciate an acknowledgment that it first appeared at The 5-2.
If you'd like to record for poets unable to do so, email G_SO at YAHOO dot COM. You can make your own audio/video files or call my dedicated voicemail.
If you'd like to guest-edit for a week, email G_SO at YAHOO dot COM at least two months in advance of the week you would like your chosen poem published. This gives me time to announce you, and poets time to prepare their work.
Sample guest-editing timeframe: Say you would like to choose the poem for the week of June 4, 2012. You would notify me by April 4. I would announce your guest spot on the site, setting a submission deadline of May 7. On May 8, I would send you one document of all the submissions received. You would have up to May 22 to choose one poem to be published. I would notify the poets and, finally, post your chosen poem on June 4.
Along with the poet's signed confession, I'd include your "ruling" as guest editor—up to fifty words about why you chose the poem for publication.
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