Having just taken over the role of Poetry Ed from lovely Lucy, I thought I’d make a quick post answering any poetry questions you might have.
What are you looking for right now?
Everything!
I’m about to start putting together “The Fireside Book” and “The Friendship Book”, so I will need lots of poems to fill those — ninety altogether!
“The Fireside Book” features general and seasonal poetry, and “The Friendship Book” contains a mix of faith-based and general poetry. Poems in “The Friendship Book” also follow a very specific template. Do take a look at this if you’d like to submit a poem for it.
However, I’m also looking for poetry suitable for our Specials, as well as our “Between Friends” page in weekly issues. For both of these, I’m looking for poems to suit late summer and onwards.
I’ll soon be on the look-out for poetry for “The People’s Friend” Annual 2022 as well. Already! These poems are usually upbeat and follow the rhythm of the year, such as summer or Christmas poems.
Have a look through our latest issues to see the kinds of poetry we like, but as a general rule we look for poems that are reflective, humorous or upbeat. 12-16 lines is perfect for the weekly issues, but we can be more flexible for poems intended for the Specials and “The Fireside Book”.
How should I submit poems during lockdown?
If you have had poems published in “The Friend” previously, please email your submissions to me at aphillips@dctmedia.co.uk for consideration.
If you haven’t had poems published by us before, please continue to send your poetry to the office if it is safe for you to do so.
Address them to “The Poetry Editor” at “The People’s Friend”, DC Thomson, 2 Albert Square, Dundee, DD1 1DD. I’ll look forward to reading them when we get back to the office!
Will I still be paid?
Of course! We will be in touch to pay for a poem when it has a definite scheduled date for publication.
Prior to that, I will keep it on file pending possible publication.
Please do check out our submission guidelines on poetry for more information.
Click here to take a look at some Abbie’s Poetry Prompts. You might find some inspiration for your next “Friend” submission!
Abigail Phillips Abbie is the newest member of the fiction team at the "Friend." She loves how varied the role is - every day is different and there is always a new story to read. She is keen to work closely with established writers and discover new writers, too.
