The Shore is an online poetry publication seeking cutting, strange, and daring work from new and established poets alike. We want poems that explore the worlds of things and ideas, that recognize the liminality, the shifting of everything around us and our ability to name a thing whole. We want poems that press and push and ache and recede. Send us your best. We publish 4 times a year, once each season.

Our reading period is currently: OPEN

Submissions for ISSUE TWENTY-NINE: SPRING 2026 will close March 1.

Submission Guidelines:

To submit:

• Email 3-5 poems in a single document to theshorepoetry@gmail.com

• Use .doc or .docx format.

• Use the subject line: “Last Name_First Name THE SHORE submission”

• Include a cover letter and third-person bio in the body of the email.

• Do not include AI generated work, in part or in full.

• Only submit once per reading period.

• Do not send revisions to submissions. Minor grammatical errors will not impact consideration.

Any submissions that do not follow these guidelines will be discarded.

We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you notify us if the piece is accepted elsewhere.

We do not accept reprints.

Upon acceptance, you must withdraw your poems from other consideration.

We ask that former contributors please wait a year from their date of publication to submit again.

We have weekly editorial meetings, so our usual response time is 1-10 days. Since we do not hold submissions between reading periods, no submission reply should take more than about 60 days.

Our Submission Periods are:
January 1 through March 1
April 1 through June 1
July 1 through September 1
October 1 through December 1