Festival Submission Guidelines
This page will be updated in January 2023 with information about submitting for the 2024 Festival.
Submission Guidelines
We care about introducing our audiences to poets they may not be familiar with and offering poets the opportunity to reach a wider audience. One of the many ways we find Festival Poets is through open submissions.
Every submission received by October 15, 2021 will be reviewed by all three poets on our anonymous panel. If you wish to be considered for the 2022 Dodge Poetry Festival, please read our Submissions FAQ and follow all guidelines when submitting.
Required submission materials are listed below in the order in which they are reviewed. Audio/video recordings and your work sample are at the top of the list. Our primary focus is on finding poets we feel compelled to share with our audiences. Degrees, credentials and work experience are secondary considerations.
Keep in mind that we are curating a live event, and we give attention to how a poet relates to their audience.
GUIDELINES
Your submission must be received by 11:59 pm EST on October 15, 2021. If you choose to mail materials, they must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2021. Please use the mailing address listed in our Submissions FAQ. Only mail hard copies of materials you do not need returned to you.
Our preference is for you to upload or link to digital versions of all required materials in the Submittable application. We will accept hard copies of additional materials if you do not have digital copies, like books and CDs/DVDs; however, you still need to complete the online submission form for Dodge to review your submission.
By submitting, you are confirming that all poems submitted are original works and that you are their sole author. Agents or publishers wishing to submit on behalf of their authors must send a complete submission in accordance with these guidelines for each poet.
| Audio or Video (1-3 recordings, audio and/or video) | Since we are curating a live event, audio and/or video recordings are an important piece of your application. We encourage you to submit links to recordings of live readings before an audience. |
| Work Sample (Up to 20 pages of poetry in a 12-point standard font [such as Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial] with approximately one-inch margins) | Please submit a sample of poems that you would most like to read in front of a live audience and that you feel best represent your work. |
| 1-3 books/chapbooks | You do not need to have a published book or chapbook to submit. If you have a digital copy of your book(s)/chapbook(s), please upload the digital version(s) directly in the online submission form. If you do not have access to digital book(s)/chapbook(s), you may mail them; please be sure to include a document in the package with your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address. |
| Short Responses | We've included several questions to help us get a sense of the point of view or perspective that you would bring to the Festival, and the kinds of conversations and readings in which you would like to participate. Please note that we don’t host academic presentations and panels. |
| Relevant Experience | Tell us about experiences that have helped prepare you to participate in conversations and share your poetry at the Festival. |
You will receive an email from us confirming receipt of materials.
When Will You Hear From Us?
Review of submissions only begins after all have been logged in and acknowledged by late October. Because careful consideration is given to each of the hundreds of submissions we receive, this process typically takes six to seven months. Please respect our process by not calling or writing requesting updates on your submission.
After the initial confirmation email, you may not hear from us until July 31, 2022, when we will send final regrets to those we have not been able to invite for that year. Poets we plan to invite to either the Festival or other Dodge Poetry programming will likely hear from us before then. We are unable to offer feedback on submissions.
If you still have questions after reading the Submissions FAQ, or require additional guidance, please email us at submissions(at)grdodge(dot)org