Submissions
Our open submission period runs July through October every year through Submittable.
Submission Guidelines
Poetry
Mantis seeks out the best new poetry across a range of aesthetics, subject matters, and locales. We value evocative imagery, syntactical play, a finely-tuned ear, and an engagement with the poem’s shape or form. We embrace the unique, the startling, and the well-crafted—however it is achieved.
With this in mind, please send us five to seven pages of your finest poetry. This may include a short sequence or an excerpt from a longer poem. If we’re keen on a longer piece, we’ll query you to send more.
Translations
Mantis is interested in publishing translations that will expose our readers to compelling and unfamiliar poems. We tend to favor translations of contemporary poets; when we do publish work by poets of the past, it is usually work we find under-appreciated or neglected in English. All languages will be considered, and all translations appear side-by-side with the original.
Please submit your translations (along with the original) as a single file. We would also appreciate a brief note introducing the poet you're translating. This can appear in your cover letter or within your submission itself, and should help us contextualize the work of the poet you have chosen to translate.
Special Sections
Each year, in addition to open submissions we tend to feature two or three thematic sections that vary depending on our editors interests, passions, whims & eccentricities. Whether you happen to have written something that you think fits, or our prompts inspire you to create something new, we always look forward to reading work submitted in these categories.
Submission Process, Logistics
Our open submissions period runs from July - October annually; please submit through Submittable (see link below).
Simultaneous submissions are of course welcome, but please notify us if you decide to publish your piece elsewhere.
Mantis has never charged a fee for submission, and we never will.
We’re an incredibly small but passionate team. You can expect a response from us on your submissions within 3 to 4 months, usually in Late November or December. Though we are not able to provide individual feedback in most cases, we appreciate that you have trusted us with your work and will always read it with care.
Responsibility falls to the translator to secure the rights to the work being translated, and we try our best to have all translations reviewed by readers proficient in the original language prior to publication. That said, we will primarily be looking at the quality of the poem in translation to evaluate the work.
Though we unfortunately cannot pay for the pieces we publish, all contributors receive a copy of our print journal, as well as a copy sent to the original author or author’s estate for translations (where applicable).
When you agree to publish your piece with us, it will be featured in our yearly print volume and also in digital format on our website. We may also seek to re-publish works in future anthologies.
Rights to the work revert to the author and the translator after publication.
Please contact us with any questions at mantispoetry AT stanford DOT edu.