Submit

Red Tree Review considers submissions on a rolling basis.

Before submitting, read a previous issue, and consider subscribing. (It’s free, and it shows that you’re actually interested in the journal.)

To submit poems for consideration, include the following in a single email with the subject line SUBMISSION:

A brief cover letter
A publication-ready author bio of no more than 150 words, written in third person
3-5 poems
DO NOT INCLUDE ATTACHMENTS. All submission elements (cover letter, bio, and poems) should appear as text in the body of the email. If your poems require unique formatting that does not render correctly in email, feel free to note this in your cover letter.

Send to contact[at]redtreereview[dot]com. (Click here to view an example submission.)

More Details:

Submissions that do not follow the guidelines closely will be rejected. (This is a logistical and time management-related policy, not a punitive one. No harshness intended!) By submitting, you are consenting for your work to appear (if selected) in a future issue in the exact version submitted, barring minor copy edits. At this time, Red Tree Review cannot offer monetary compensation. Upon publication, all rights revert back to the author. Authors are asked to acknowledge Red Tree Review in any future publications in which the work appears.

Submission Q&A:

Question: What kinds of poems does RTR prefer?
Answer: Poems that surprise, harrow, and awe. Think: charged, inventive, surreal, dark, humorous, playful, biting, devastating, bigger on the inside, defiant towards convention and status quo. Poems with immediacy, high stakes, and arresting syntax. In short, it’s not the “type” of poem, but the experience the poem creates that often determines whether the work is right for RTR.

Question: Who can submit to RTR?
Answer: Adult writers with any or no publication history. RTR has published well-established, celebrated voices alongside emerging poets. Writers belonging to historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to submit.

Question: When can I expect a decision on my submission?
Answer: Response time varies, but you should generally receive an email response within 6 months. If you don’t, feel free to query at contact[at]redtreereview[dot]com.

Question: How often can I submit?
Answer: Please do not submit again until you receive a response from your last submission. Multiple submissions will be treated as spam.

Question: Can I submit poems that have been published before?
Answer: Previously published work will not be considered.

Question: Are simultaneous submissions okay?
Answer: Yes. And there’s no need to send updates if poems are accepted elsewhere. If RTR selects your poems, you’ll be asked to confirm that the work is still available.

Question: Can I submit [insert anything other than poetry]?
Answer: RTR publishes poems and only poems. For now.

Question: How much of the work in RTR is unsolicited?
Answer: Almost all of it. RTR solicits rarely and selectively.

Question: Why was my work rejected?
Answer: Rejection is a normal part of a writer’s life. It doesn’t always mean the work isn’t strong; it just means that it wasn’t a great fit.

Question: Why can’t I submit attachments?
Answer: Malware.