Poems

We like poems of any length. Try to send several poems as opposed to a single piece, but no more than five or six at a time. We're looking for poems that move us, pieces that might make us laugh or cry, or teach us something new. Though most of the poems that we publish are free verse, that doesn't mean we don't like traditional forms. If you're confident in your sonnet or villanelle, send it. We read a lot of poems, and only those that are unique, insightful, and musical stand out. Since our issues include about 80-100 pages of poetry, one of the main things we're looking for is diversity; we have enough room to be eclectic, and we plan on using it. So while most magazines suggest reading their back issues to get a sense of what they like to publish, we'd suggest reading to get a sense of what we're having trouble finding--if you notice a style or subject matter that we don't seem to be publishing, send us that!

Each issue of RATTLE contains 60 or more poems in our regular section, and nearly all of them come from unsolicited submissions. Your submissions keep us going, and we always appreciate them.

Tributes

Every issue of RATTLE gathers poems from a specific ethnic, vocational, or social group, comprising a special section of about 20 pages. We're currently seeking submissions from Cowboy/Western poets for our Winter 2008 issue. We're also seeking essays on the cowboy poetry tradition. For more information and to learn how to submit, see our call for submissions page.

Future tributes will focus on: African-American Poets, Formalists, Psychologists/Psychiatrists, Chapbooks, Humor and Epic Poems. Don't submit yet, but make a note to check back later.

Reviews

Note that we no longer publish print reviews. Due to the overwhelming success of the new E-Reviews section of our website, we've decided to use the print reviews space to publish more poetry. From now on, reviews will only appear online. Please refer to the E-Review section for complete guidelines, but in general, anything goes--reviews may be any length, on any book, chapbook or anthology relating to poetry. Payment for an E-Review is one copy of a forthcoming print issue of RATTLE.

Required Information

If possible place this information on each piece submitted:

Name, Mailing Address, Phone Number, Email address

In addition send a short bio of the author. Your bio should tell us who you are and why you love poetry. Our bios section is something that makes issues of RATTLE unique, and many say it's as fun to read as the poetry itself. Bios should be in the first person, and follow the format of this sample:

Erik Campbell: "One afternoon in the summer of 1994 I was driving to work and I heard Garrison Keillor read Stephen Dunn's poem "Tenderness" on The Writer's Almanac. After he finished the poem I pulled my car over and sat for some time. I had to. That is why I write poems. I want to make somebody else late for work." (email address goes here at the end if you'd like it included)

Bios in this form are only needed upon acceptance--it doesn't have to be included with each submission, though we would enjoy it.

Payment

Payment is two copies of the issue in which your work appears. Contributors also may preorder additional copies at a discounted rate.

Rights & Rules

All rights revert to the authors on publication. To get technical, we require First Serial Rights, meaning we want to be the first magazine to publish your poem. If the poems have appeared in a book, that's fine. They may have been posted online to blogs or message boards, as well, but online magazines still count as magazines. If you submitted them work, and they published it, then we don't want those poems.

Though authors do retain all rights to their work, we post everything we publish on the back-issues section of the website six months after print publication, unless you request them removed (though no one ever has).

Response Time

Response times vary, but we can generally make a decision within 4-8 weeks. If you haven't heard back from us in awhile, feel free to query by email, as submissions have been known to get lost in the mail, and more often in cyberspace.

Submissions to RATTLE are accepted in one of two ways:

Track Your Submissions

Though we have no affiliation with Duotrope's Digest (other than a listing there), it is a wonderful resource for anyone who frequently submits work. Track your submissions, gather detailed information on all of the markets in their searchable database, and let others know our response times. It's Poet's Market for the 21st century, and it's completely free.