“I write only because
There is a voice within me
That will not be still”
Sylvia Plath
1 March to 31 March
Poetry for Ukraine 2
1 January to 29 February 2024
Open Submissions 5
1 December to 6 January 2024
COMPETITION Crack a Joke
1 November to 10 December
Confluence & Collaboration
1 October to 7 November
Words Change Lives
1 September to 7 October
Leaves & Leaving
1 July to 31 August
Open submissions 4
1 April to 31 May 2023
April foolery & mirthful May
24 February to 10 April 2023
One Year On
1 Jan. to 28 Feb 2023
Open Submissions 3
12 Nov to 31 December 2022
On the Same Page
published poetry is here
1 Oct to 11 Nov 2022
Remembrance
published poetry is here
16 July to 30 Sept 2022
Open Submissions 2
Published poetry is
Here
June 2022
Sky & Solstice
Published poetry is here
May 2022
Cataclysm & Mayday
Published poetry is here
April 2022
Botanicals & Gardens
Published poetry is here
March 2022
Ukraine
Published poetry is here
January & February 2022
Open submissions
Published poetry is here
February
Coping & Renewal
Published poetry is here.
January
Backwards & Forwards
Published poetry is here.
Wildfire Words offers regular opportunities for all poets and flash fiction writers to submit for publication in Wildfire Words. Since 1st January 2022, we have featured regular free-to-enter submissions windows. For each you can submit 1, 2, or 3 poems or flash fictions to be considered for publication.
We accept submissions via themed or open submission windows, or as competition entries. All submissions are via a form which enables poems for a specific feature or competition to be sent direct to Wildfire Words.
We do not accept unsolicited email submissions.
Competition opportunities in Wildfire Words offer prizes for the best entries, or publication of a book. All competitions have an entry fee, which funds prizes and sustains our voluntary poetry publishing community. Current and forthcoming competitions are summarised on Competitions page.
If you have some publishing-ready poems on any topic, please consider one of our free-to-enter Open Submissions windows, which are listed on the left of this page.
If you want to submit or create poems on a specific topic or prompt, please consider our submission windows with a theme. Current and recent ones are displayed on the left of this page.
We’re looking for submissions that grab our attention, 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.
All Submission Windows are free to enter. For any theme or 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 generally no longer than 40 lines including stanza breaks. Flash writers should submit stories of no more than 300 words.
Do, please, supply a mini-biog of 50 words max, written in the third person, to be published with your writing.
Wildfire Words specializes in publishing audio recordings of poems or stories next to the writing. So please supply an audio with each submission.
If we publish your writing, we will also publish your biog and audio. If you didn’t submit an audio, you are welcome to join one of the regular recording sessions for Wildfire Words published poets.
Acknowledgement of your submission is emailed within minutes of you uploading it. We aim to choose and publish successful submissions within 4 weeks of receipt, so please check back with the relevant Wildfire Words page after submitting. All poets we publish are searchable from any page of the web site.
For each submission window, we normally email all poets who entered with details of who is published in that feature within a week of the submission window closing.
Submitted poems must be totally your own original work, in English, and unpublished in print or online, including your own website. If your work is published in Wildfire Words, it will be on a non-exclusive basis for at least one year. The copyright remains yours for all poems, flash fiction, bios, and audio recordings you submit for publication.
Our Submissions philosophy
We aim to be inclusive of poets worldwide. We respect all other people and their well-being, beliefs, individuality, and free speech, and expect the same from all poets who submit. We’ll publish any poem that adds fresh creative spice to the poetry in wildfire words. 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 choose to send a recording.
Marilyn & Howard Timms
wildfire-words.com 