In June, I’ll start choosing poems for the 2022 editions of “The Friendship Book”, “The Fireside Book” and our Annual.
We need 100 poems in all, so I can safely say that it’s poetry season at the “Friend”!
Here’s what I’ll be looking for . . .
Annual 2022
The Annual features ten to twelve poems and these are light in tone — uplifting and upbeat. Some are also seasonal.
They do not need to be a certain length, though we’re not looking for epics!
“The Fireside Book”
We can be flexible on length for poems intended for “The Fireside Book”, too.
We need sixty poems for inclusion — fifteen for each season that are either seasonal or non-specific, with a more general theme.
Again, think uplifting, reflective or humorous in tone.
“The Friendship Book”
This is the strictest when it comes to the length of the poems we need. In fact, it follows a very specific template that we cannot deviate from.
As an example, the January 3rd poem should be 12 lines, but the February 14th poem should be 10 lines, and the March 12th poem has to be 16 lines.
The poems in this book are about family, friends, faith and nature. We need thirty!
If you want to submit a poem for “The Friendship Book”, please make a note of which date you’re submitting it for.
This will make sure I don’t miss your poem in consideration for a certain slot.
Top tip!
Have a look through past versions of these books, or past weekly issues and Specials to get a feel for the poetry we like to include.
How to submit
If you have not previously been published in the “Friend”, please send poems by post to our office to be picked up there.
However, if you cannot safely post your poetry, please do send your submission by email.
Address postal submissions to Poetry Editor, The People’s Friend, DC Thomson, 2 Albert Square, Dundee, DD1 1DD.
If you are an established “Friend” poet, please email your submissions directly to me at aphillips@dctmedia.co.uk
All poems should be previously unpublished elsewhere and your own work.
For more information about our poetry, go here.
And check out our poetry submissions guideline here.
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.
