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Call for Submissions for Tokyo Poetry Journal Vol.18

- Submission deadline: February 28, 2026 - 

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Tokyo Poetry Journal Vol. 18: Gather 'Round Children

 

Tokyo Poetry Journal invites submissions for Volume 18: Gather 'Round Children—a special issue celebrating oral-tradition poetry and the timeless power of stories carried by the human voice. We seek poems that feel as if they could be shared around a fire: lyrical, narrative, rooted in memory or myth, and crafted to live strongly on the page.

 

What We’re Looking For

We welcome:

• Lyrical poems with rhythm, cadence, and vivid language

• Storytelling in verse—narrative poems, folktale-inspired works, mythic or personal stories

• Poems drawn from or inspired by oral traditions from any culture

• Work that invites readers into an intimate circle of listening and imagination

We are not seeking performance scripts; rather we ask for poetry shaped by literary craft and the echoes of spoken heritage.

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Language of Submission

Submissions may be written in English or Japanese. Japanese submissions must include an English translation (author-translated or translator-assisted).

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Audio Recording Requirement

In addition to the written poems, authors are required to submit a recording of themselves reading their poem(s). Recordings will be edited into an audio file and made accessible via a QR code in the printed volume. The audio does not need to be professional—smartphone recordings are acceptable—but must be: clear, easy to listen to; recorded in a quiet room with no background noise; free from distortion. Use your phone’s built-in voice recorder or another clean method, save the file as an MP3, and send it with your submission.

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Submission Guidelines & Technical/Formatting Requirements

• Number of submissions: Unlimited (submit as many as you wish).

• Any length is acceptable.

• Simultaneous submissions are welcome; please notify us if work is accepted elsewhere.

• Submissions should be formatted as follows: use Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) for the manuscript.

• For manuscripts, use 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins all around, smart quotes.

• File name: “[AUTHOR NAME], [NUMBER OF POEMS]” or “[AUTHOR NAME], [Poem title]” (choose one consistent naming convention).

• If formatting is important (line-breaks, special typography etc.), also include a PDF version alongside the Word file.

• Attach all written poems in a single PDF or Word file, and attach the MP3 audio recording(s).

• Include an author bio (100–150 words) in the body of the email. If you are submitting translations, include translator’s name and bio as needed.

• If submitting previously published work, you must provide publication details (name of publication, date) and secure necessary copyright permissions.

• Deadline: February 28, 2026.

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How to Submit

There are NO submission fees
Send all submissions (written and audio) to:

gatherroundchildren@gmail.com

and CC topojo2015@gmail.com 

Subject line:

“TOPO Vol 18 Submission – [Your Name]”

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*This address is only for submissions to Volume 18.

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NOW CLOSED

Call for Submissions for Tokyo Poetry Journal Vol.17: Portraits of Tokyo​

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- Submission deadline: December 31, 2024 - 

 

The Tokyo Poetry Journal entering its 10th year will produce Volume 17 on the theme of Portraits of Tokyo. We are looking forward to submissions with your poems, photos, illustrations … etc of this fabulous city. 

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• Send 3-5 works via email. 
  Email to: topojo2015@gmail.com with subject line "Volume 17: Portraits of Tokyo submission"

• If visuals, send high resolution if possible.  

• File name should be titled as such: "[AUTHOR NAME], [Poem title]". e.g. "Jordan Smith, Mukuhaku".

• Submissions should be in English, or in Japanese with English translation. Bilingual or multilingual texts also considered.

• Please include a word file with a short bio (up to 100 words) and if any explanations/comments to your submission, please add them under the bio. 
  We reserve the right to edit the bios if needed.

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Past calls for submission:

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Volume 15: The Visual Poetry Volume
Deadline: December 31, 2023

Lead editor of the volume: Zoria Petkoska

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We’re looking for poems that play with the visual aspect of 

                                                                 L a n g u a g e

that go in all

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d

i

r

e

c

t

i

o

    n

          s.

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Send us your most experimental playful poems

visual chaos

textual landscapes

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We are looking for all forms of visual poetry, concrete poetry, asemic writing, and art.

Additionally, we want to see all kinds of experimental poetry, futurist and neo-futurist poetry, literary collages, typography explorations, calligraphy... If you have something genre-defying, we will probably be excited to publish it!

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Works with a Japan element and Japan-based authors are preferred, but exceptions will be made.

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Please send 2–6 poems along with a short bio to topojo2015@gmail.com | Attn: Zoria Petkoska

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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR V15: VISUAL POETRY VOLUME

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TECHNICAL

• Formats: pdf, jpg, png, tiff

• Size: 300dpi preferred.
  We will accept lower resolution just for submission purposes | IF SELECTED please send 300dpi files to ensure good print quality.

• file name should be titled as such: "[AUTHOR NAME], [Poem title]". e.g. "Jordan Smith, Mukuhaku".

• Submissions should be in English, or in Japanese with English translation. Bilingual or multilingual texts also considered.

• Please include a word file with a short bio (up to 100 words) and if any. explanations/comments to your submission, please add them under the bio. We welcome context, background information of how you created your work that might help us see your process and understand your work better. 

• We reserve the right to edit the bios if needed.

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IN RELATION TO OTHER PUBLICATIONS

• Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please indicate in your submission that you've submitted it elsewhere too.

• Previously published work in other publications (your own social media or blog excluded) will only be considered if the publication is not Japan-based or strongly related to Japan.

• Additionally, previously published works will be preferably published in 2022 latest or earlier than 2022. If submitting previously published work, please enclose details such as publication date and name.

• Currently, we are only accepting email submissions. Please send your poems to topojo2015@gmail.com.
  If the files are too big, please have them in a Google Drive and give access to topojo2015@gmail.com.
  
  *We generally take some time to respond. We are poets, and we are volunteers. Please be patient with us, and thank you for trusting us with your work.

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