“I write only because
There is a voice within me
That will not be still”
Sylvia Plath
RIP Queen Elizabeth II
long live
King Charles III
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.
“For the Fallen”
Laurence Binyon
From 1 October to 11 November 2022, our theme for free submissions relates to acts or thoughts of remembering. Public acts of Remembrance are generally commemorating a death or deaths. But they can also be celebrations of happy anniversaries like national independence days or personal events like birthdays, engagements, leaving parties.
Click here to read the poems published to date.
Remembrance of sad events can bring renewal, a sense of new directions. Sad crowds lining London streets for the funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth II broke into spontaneous, smiling applause as the car bearing the new king, Charles III, passed on the way to Westminster Abbey.
We’re looking for poems on any aspect of Remembrance that grab our attention, that pull our heart strings, leave us open-mouthed or holding our breath, make us think, make us laugh or cry, and/or are strikingly original. In short, poems that excite us enough to share them with wildfire words readers.
Submissions are free and will be accepted up to 11:59 on 11 November.
During this submission window, each poet can make one submission as a single file containing 1, 2, or 3 poems. Poems can be in any form, but no longer than 40 lines including stanza breaks. Do, please, supply a mini-bio of 50 words max to be published alongside your poem. We also encourage you to submit an audio recording of your poem(s) made on your phone, laptop, or tablet.
If we publish your poem, we will offer you a chance to record it on 12 November. You can submit an audio with the text by 11 November, or request a place at a recording session when you complete your submission form.
When you submit, your poetry will automatically be acknowledged within minutes of when you upload it using the form below.
We aim to choose and publish successful submissions by 12 November. Names of chosen poets are listed at the top of the feature as soon as they are published. Because of the volume of submissions, it is seldom practicable to notify poets if their work has not been published.
Submitted poems must be totally your own original work, in English, and unpublished in print or online, including your own website. Where an original poet teams up with a translator into English, we will consider publishing the work, provided biographies of both original poet and translator are provided.
If your work is published in wildfire words ezine, it will be on a non-exclusive basis for at least one year. The copyright remains yours for all poems, bios, and audio recordings you submit for publication.
Your submission is welcome
We aim to be inclusive of poets worldwide. We respect all people and their well-being, beliefs, individuality, and free speech, and expect the same from other poets. We’ll publish any poem that adds fresh creative spice to the poetry in this open submissions feature — 40 lines maximum, including stanza breaks. We’ll evaluate your poetic jewel, whether it’s a cut and polished dazzler or a rough stone with some interesting lustre. So please don’t hesitate to submit. And we’d love to hear your gem, too, if you send a recording or attend one of our online recording sessions.
Marilyn Timms, Features Editor
Please include your biography in no more than 50 words with regard to poetry, and include your website or Facebook/Twitter name.
When you submit a poem, you are conferring the non-exclusive right for wildfire words to publish it as test and audio, plus your biography, for one year. We reserve the right to correct typographic errors in poems selected for publication. But will not publish any other kind of error or omission without full prior permission from its author.
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