Ampersand Poetry Journal is an online journal dedicated to the space in between.

the ampersand symbol stands for the space that lies between two concepts that are seemingly very far apart. our aim is to explore and fill in that space, via writing and reading poetry.

ampersand focuses on providing specific prompts for each theme in order to make our publications more structured. As a student, I know writing for one’s own leisure can begin to feel uninspiring and that finding the motivation gets tough when life ‘gets in the way’. I have found that the only way to truly get out of a writer’s block (or a rut of writing similar/redundant works) is to have some sort of assignment at hand. Hence, our push to follow our prompts. That said, don’t feel like you can’t submit because your piece is only loosely based on the theme. The point is just to get people busy, writing things they are proud of !

• each issue’s theme and writing prompts are announced on both the current theme page and our instagram, on the 30th of the month preceding its publication.

SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY THE 20th OF THE

CURRENT THEME’S PUBLICATION MONTH.

for example: submissions for the February issue will be open from 30 January

until 20 February, giving you approximately 3 weeks to write.

• you must stick to the monthly theme in some way, and we strongly encourage following one of our accompanying prompts.

• 1500 word limit. title and footnotes do not count.

• cover art: you can attach photos/illustrations of your own or made by a friend, but we can also pick one for you, if you’d prefer.

• proems are also accepted — proems being short, poetic works of prose that DO NOT follow an inherent narrative structure. what falls under this umbrella: creative non-fiction or memoir-esque pieces… what does NOT: essays, fictional short stories, letters, etc.

• three poems maximum (per person, per month). if you submit multiple, submit each of them in separate forms.

• English, please. if you choose to write in any other language, please provide a translation within the poem, on the google doc, or with footnotes.

• anonymous submissions are welcome.

• No AI writing or art whatsoever.

The current theme is:

Together & Apart

ogetherness is a necessity to human life, while apartness is an inevitability (or sometimes, a consequence). Though they are typically opposite states of being, there is one thing in common: two or more parts are required to create the proximity which illustrates being “together” or the distance which illustrates being “apart”. This month, try and think about several aspects, people, places, or ideas in your life — and write about how they either come together or fall apart.

*NEW RULE: Your poem must either be a new one following — or an existing one that clearly aligns with — one of the provided writing prompts. You can no longer loosely follow the theme of the month. We will now provide ten prompts instead of six to facilitate this!

TOGETHER prompts

TOGETHER 1: write/submit a poem about a time something came together for you.

TOGETHER 2: write a poem in collaboration with someone else.

TOGETHER 3: write a poem with no line breaks.

TOGETHER 4: write/submit a poem about two things coming together, whether in harmony or conflict.

TOGETHER 5: take two poems you’ve written in the past and combine them into one new poem.

APART prompts

APART 1: write/submit a poem about an event or specific moment that “made your world fall apart.”

APART 2: write a poem where you pull apart the definition of a word you like.

APART 3: write a poem about something that was once, but is no longer, a part of you or your life.

APART 4: write/submit a poem about being apart from someone else, for better or for worse.

APART 5: write a poem about an individual part of yourself, physical or metaphorical.