Poetry Only, Please

Although I subscribe to several journals that include poetry and prose, I often find myself skipping over the prose pieces to get to the poems. So it occurred to me that perhaps I ought to subscribe to a few more poetry-only journals. Poetry with perhaps some reviews of poetry books, interviews with poets, and / or a poetics essay. A bit of art would be nice, too. I then set about gathering a list of such journals. Perhaps you might also be looking for a few ideas for new subscriptions, so I'll share the list with you. Those with a single asterisk are ones I just subscribed to. Those with two asterisks are ones I am already subscribed to. Looks like I have a good year of reading to look forward to.

Beloit Poetry Journal
A saddle-stapled journal that has been around a long time. Four issues per year.

*Cave Wall
Combines poetry and art. Two issues per year.

Court Green
Each issue includes a themed section. One issue per year.

*Field
Poetry and poetics, reviews by editors. Two issues per year.

Mudfish
Poetry and art. One issue per year. They make it difficult to subscribe as there is no online subscription option. Instead, you are asked to make a phone call to their NYC number.

Naugatuck River Review
Poetry only, focus on narrative poetry. Two issues per year. One is a contest issue.

**Poet Lore
Poetry and Reviews, occasional essay. Two issues per year.

**Rattle
Poetry and interviews. Each issue has a section of poems solicited from a particular group, e.g., nurses, attorneys. Reviews are online. Two issues per year.

*Southern Poetry Review
Pure poetry. Two issues per year.

Spoon River Poetry Review
Poetry and one very long review essay. Two issues per year.

*Sugar House Review
Poetry and reviews. All reviews are also archived online. Two issues per year. A very beautiful journal, perfect bound, glossy paper inside, pretty end pages. Very reasonable at $12 per year. Can download a pdf for your e-reader.

*32 Poems
All poetry. Saddle stapled. Two issues per year.

Poetry and Art

Matisse's The Open Window

I was recently invited by poetry editor, Kathleen Kirk, to submit some poems to Escape into Life. This was a double pleasure: first, because it's always nice to know that someone wants my work, and two, because this was my introduction to a lovely online journal. This journal combines visual art and poetry, a combination I like a lot. The journal includes several different categories of art: drawing, photography, painting, collage. It also includes art videos, film shorts, and movie trailers as well as music and music videos. You will also find art reviews, essays about art history, some fiction, and some interviews.

And then, of course, there's poetry. Each poetry feature is enhanced by a painting. My four poems are "Temptation by Water," "You Offer Lychee to Your American Friends," "The Fruitful Woman," and "The Summer He Left." Since "Temptation by Water," the title poem of my new book, is based on Matisse's painting, "The Open Window," the art editor selected that piece to go with my poems. I'm very happy with that pairing. Please pay my poems a visit.

Then drop by the Poetry Library where I'm joined by such poets as Leslie McGrath, Nin Andrews, Nicelle Davis, George Looney, and Peter Davis. Be sure to also check out the other categories. You'll find much to delight you.

Additions to the journal appear to be made on a rolling basis, and there does not seem to be a submission process.

Grace Cavalieri recently steered me towards another gorgeous online journal that combines poetry and art, Poets and Artists. This is a downloadable pdf format, which I'm not crazy about for plain old poetry journals, but the format ideally suits this journal because of the visual element. As I turned the pages, the word "exquisite" kept coming to mind.

The journal is published by Didi Menendez who says, "Publishing to us is an art form and the process of publishing your work means as much to us as your art and poetry mean to you." That lofty intention is fully met. The journal is published 8-12 times per year. Each issue can be enjoyed online for free. If you want a hard copy, there's a fee for that. Several issues feature a poet on the cover. That poet is then interviewed by Grace Cavalieri, and the audio interview becomes part of the issue.

Submission guidelines for poets and artists are at the journal site.

As you visit each of these journals, I'm sure you'll want to bookmark them and return often for the poetry and the art. You might even get some new poems stimulated by the art.

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