Poetry Submissions
 

The magazine is taking a one year publishing break.
Submissions are currently closed.

 

Our current issue is available to buy in the shop, along with anthologies.

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Who

Eligible poets should currently be based in the UK or ROI. Each issue includes some authors who share a connection to Northern England or whose poems explore ‘the North’ thematically or tangentially. Our poets don't exclusively live in the North or write about it. We include a strong mix of work.

What 

Put simply? We publish great poetry. There is no other theme. We read your work anonymously and publish established authors alongside previously unpublished and emerging voices.

We print accomplished poems by exciting poets and operate a best practice policy whereby poems of great promise - that are perhaps a little dog-eared - will still be longlisted. As experienced editors, we may suggest changes to improve musicality and meaning, as well as the basics of spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 

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It is always interesting to hear why particular choices have been made, but we will never publish work below the standard readers expect from Butcher’s Dog.

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​​How

​​Please send us a single Word document containing:

• No more than three unpublished and original poems.

• A new page for each poem and its title (40 lines per poem max).

• Text only: no colours, fonts, or images.

• Your name should not appear on the page (including poem/file name).

• Translations accepted where permission secured in advance from original author/estate.

 

​Submissions are free. You should read any publication before sending work for inclusion. If you've never held a copy of the Dog, please buy a copy, subscribe or ask your local library. Buy a copy. Donate. If everyone who submits a poem buys a copy or donates two pounds, the press will stay financially sustainable.

 

​Ineligible and simultaneous submissions do not cost money but they cost time. As an independent and unfunded publisher, this is our most valuable asset. Please be mindful of this courtesy and only send poems not being read elsewhere. The exception to this rule is if you send unpublished work taken from a forthcoming chapbook, pamphlet or collection. In this case, we very much want to read this work.

 

Previously published work is not eligible for submission: this constitutes in-print and online publications, including permanently available audio-visual formats. Unprinted and otherwise unrecorded poems are eligible; this includes poems in notebooks or read at open mics.

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​If you don't follow these guidelines, you'll stand out for the wrong reasons. 

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When

Our long listing timeline varies depending on the number of submissions we receive, typically 3000+. Once we have arrived on the long list, we contact poets via Submittable. Due to our attentive reading process, it takes a few months to prepare the magazine for print publication. Please ensure your contact information is kept up to date and check for updates.

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​​Once your poems are submitted, they are with the editors and changes cannot be made. One submission of up to three poems should be made per poet. Do your best editing before you press send. Click the Submittable logo below to send us your poems when the call re-opens.

Good luck!

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