State of The Five-Two

There were no submissions for a few weeks, so I paused the Poem of the Week for March, resuming March 30 to usher in April, National Poetry Month, when the site gets more attention.

As always, I'm open to poems about notorious and little-known wrongdoing, true or fictional, any style or form. Thanks for your consideration.

From the Editor: Not What We Want, What We Must

Photo by Gerald So

The Five-Two has published some memorable holiday poems, usually light in tone. This year, though, the site has a duty not to look past two horrific, raw, unfortunately holiday-related crimes: the hate crime terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney leaving fifteen killed, and the double-murder of actor-director-activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele by their troubled son, Nick, after a public row during Conan O'Brien's Christmas party.

Indeed I don't want to spend these last days before Christmas prepping to publish a poem about either, but the most worthwhile thing The Five-Two can do is examine the hardest events and issues of our day, give future generations a palpable sense what our time was like, how it affected us as humanity.

That said, if I don't receive a poem, there will be nothing to publish next week. If that's the case, please take the break to be with your loved ones and appreciate life. Come back determined to write and submit.

Thank you for your support over the years.

Cruelest Month Commentary Needed

In yesterday's post, I mentioned planning to relaunch The Five-Two during April, National Poetry Month. In the past, I've run a 30-day blog tour through April, The Cruelest Month, after T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land."

This is an opportunity for poets and non-poets alike to contribute commentary on past Five-Two poems or other crime-themed poems I can cross-reference.

If you're interested, email your commentary of any length to GERALDSO at GMAIL dot COM by Monday, March 24, 2025. Begin your subj line "Cruelest Month Commentary" and include the text in your message body or attach in MS Word .doc format.

Thank you for being part of The Five-Two's comeback.

Submissions Open

The Five-Two's original twelve-year run ended because submissions dried up, perhaps because I left Twitter soon after Elon Musk bought it. The amount of wrongdoing since Donald Trump retook the U.S. presidency has me beyond consolation and thinking of rebooting the site.

I want your honest, powerful reactions to what you see as crime, couched in poetic technique and figurative language to avoid receiving a content warning or being taken down by Google.

Submission deadline Monday, March 24, 2025. Read the full guidelines and join me on Bluesky, Mastodon, and/or YouTube to show your support. If I accept enough poens, The Five-Two will relaunch Monday, April 7, 2025 as part of National Poetry Month.

Looking Ahead

The Five-Two is booked through mid-January 2018. Beyond that, submissions are needed to fill January and February and ensure the site debuts a new crime-themed poem each Monday without interruption. Please consider writing and submitting poems yourself and spread the word to anyone interested.

I would like nothing more than to find a virtual stack of submissions on Christmas morn, so call that a deadline if you wish. For February, I'd like to continue our tradition of love- or passion-themed crime poems, but I am open to any themes anytime.

Thank you for your ongoing interest and support.

The Place of Poetry

For the past few days, I've tweeted a call for holiday-themed crime poems to fill The Five-Two's four December 2017 slots. While such poems would be fine, The Five-Two also has an obligation to reflect the crimes of our times, including the October 1 Las Vegas shooting and yesterday's New York City bike path truck attack.

Resisting summary, narrative, and rationalization, poetry is uniquely suited to address tragedy.

Carry on.

Deadine January 21: Poems about Crimes of Passion, Love Gone Wrong

I'm seeking two more unpublished poems for our February 2017 Valentine's/passion/love theme. Aside from the theme, the usual guidelines apply. Deadline is Saturday, January 21. I am accepting regular submissions at the same time.

Deadline August 14: Crime Poems about Leaving or Returning

I'm seeking poems to run the weeks of September 5, 12, and 19, when I will be on vacation. Poems on any theme are welcome, but if you need inspiration, try the theme of leaving or returning. The usual guidelines apply. Feel free to forward this call to anyone you'd like to see published at The Five-Two.

Deadline May 31: Summercrime Poems

I'm seeking original poems to publish at The Five-Two the weeks of June 20 and beyond. I invite submissions combining the themes of summer and crime by May 31, 2016. The usual guidelines apply.

30 Days of The Five-Two at Mystery Playground

Deborah Lacy, perennial participant in our April blog tour from her site, Mystery Playground, is featuring one of her favorite Five-Two poems each of the five weeks in April.

She has also invited up to three poets to participate in Mystery Playground's popular Drinks with Reads feature. These posts usually feature a book paired with the perfect drink recipe. On April 1st to kick of National Poetry Month, she hopes to feature up to three Five-Two poems matched to the perfect drink recipe by the poets.

To be considered, interested poets would have to provide a drink recipe and a paragraph on why that is the perfect drink to go with their poem. Extra credit for a photo of you with your drink. Up to three poets could be featured. Posts and photos are due by March 20th.

If you're interested or have questions, please contact Deborah via the Mystery Playground Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MysteryPlayground/.

Submit Love- or Passion-Themed Crime Poems by January 15

Once again, I hope to fill February at The Five-Two with original love- or passion-themed crime poems. Submit by January 15 for one of the five February slots. Aside from the theme, the usual guidelines apply. I am accepting regular submissions at the same time.

Poetic License: James Bond Poems, Deadline: November 6

As a fan of the James Bond books and movies, I thought Bond would make a fun poetry prompt. Send me your poems about James Bond, Ian Fieming, the theme songs, the movies vs. reality, etc. by November 6, 2015, the U.S. premiere date of SPECTRE. I'll accept any that I like to appear on the site in December and beyond. Beyond the specific theme, the usual guidelines apply. I am accepting regular submissions at the same time.

Call for Submissions: Midnight Lane Boutique

Last May, Johnny Longfellow accepted one of my poems for his Midnight Lane Gallery project. The Five-Two will publish Johnny's poem, "The Song o' No One's Daughter", next week, and I'm pleased to pass along Johnny's submissions call for his new site, Midnight Lane Boutique:

Midnight Lane Boutique specializes in publishing street-themed poetry of 8 lines or less. All accepted work is published on a rolling basis, with each poet receiving a feature of his or her work. As added bonuses, the boutique creates interactive bios to promote the poets it publishes, and utilizes not one, but two models for archiving their work on site. Finally, all accepted poetry is eligible for inclusion in future projects at the boutique’s sister-site, Midnight Lane Gallery. To learn more about Midnight Lane Boutique, please visit http://midnightlanegalleryii.wordpress.com/

Guest Editor Charles Rammelkamp

Frequent Five-Two contributor Charles Rammelkamp will choose the Poem of the Week for December 8-14, 2014. Submit to Charles with the subject line "Five-Two Poetry for Rammelkamp" and email to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM, following the usual guidelines. Deadline is November 15, 2014.

I will be accepting regular submissions at the same time.

Guest Editor Erica Guo

Erica Guo has worked on the staffs of Blueshift Journal and Transcendence Magazine, and with Victoria Erdel, co-founded Cenzontle Magazine. Erica will choose the Five-Two Poem of the Week for December 29, 2014–January 4, 2015. Submit to Erica with the subject line "Five-Two Poetry for Guo" and email to G_SO at YAHOO dot COM, following the usual guidelines. Deadline is November 30, 2014.

I will be accepting regular submissions at the same time.

Summer Crime Poetry Contest - Deadline: June 30, 2014

I'm seeking original poems to be published at The Five-Two this July and August. Following the usual guidelines, combine the themes of summer and crime and submit by Monday, June 30.

Midnight Lane Gallery's Midnight on the Stroll Poetry Contest

Midnight Lane Gallery's Midnight on the Stroll poetry contest is seeking poetry inspired by the theme of street life, the site's digital art, or its music. I'm pleased to have had work accepted with Five-Two alums Doug Draime, Catfish McDaris, and other favorite poets.

As a bonus, the site artist, "Yours Truly" (No, not I), used a frame from one of my poetry videos to create a very Spenser-ish digital image:

Day 26: Guest Editor Annabelle Edwards

For Day 26 of 30 Days of The 5-2, I announce the next 5-2 guest editor:

Annabelle Edwards is a young writer and photographer living in New York. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Gone Lawn, Crack The Spine, and the Eunoia Review. She is the co-editor of Control Literary Magazine.

To submit for Annabelle's consideration, make your email subject line "5-2 Poetry for Edwards: [Title(s) of Your Work]". In addition to the usual 5-2 guidelines, Annabelle's guidelines are "Nothing homophobic, racist, sexist, or in any way hateful."

For publication the week of June 23-29, the submission deadline is May 23, 2014. I'm accepting regular 5-2 submissions at the same time.

Seeking Love-Themed Crime Poems to be Published in February 2014

I'm now accepting love-themed crime poems for the four weeks of February 2014. The usual guidelines apply. Submit by December 31, 2013.

Below are links to The 5-2's previous February poems:

Nyla Alisia, "Enter the Sandman: 31S love affair"
Christine Aletti, "Sylvia Plath, Gaslight Left On"
Robert Cooperman, "Delicious Sins"
JD Debris, "The Girl in the American Apparel Ad"
Anne Graue, "The Death of the Nut Harvester"
Clarinda Harriss, "Sweet-talk Me on Valentine's Day"
Anina Robb, "Affair"
Hal Sirowitz, "Through Pink-Tinged Glasses"

Guest Editor Terry Trowbridge, Deadline: September 30, 2013

Guest editor Terry Trowbridge will choose the Poem of the Week for October 21–27, 2013 from submissions received August 9–September 30, 2013. To submit to Terry, email G_SO at YAHOO dot COM with the subject line "5-2 Poetry for Trowbridge", and follow the rest of the guidelines as usual. I will be accepting regular submissions at the same time.

Terry Trowbridge is a Ph.D. candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at York University in Toronto, Ontario. His research focuses on St. Catharines, Ontario, the city in his upcoming 5-2 poem, "A Typical Night in Western Hill".

His essays have been published in Rampike (2010) and Ariel (2010). He has co-authored literary criticism about poetry and cryptography in conference proceedings of the IEEE (2009, 2011), the ACM (2012), and also in Rampike (2012). His poetry has appeared in various venues, most recently dead (g)end(er) magazine (2011), Carousel (2013), and two chapbooks from Grey Borders Press in Niagara Falls, Slimy Bugs (2007), and That’s Why They Shit So Much: Self-help for Living with Passive-aggressive Cats (2011).