Here at the “Friend”, we’re open to poetry submissions all year round.
But, in particular, we’re always looking for poetry to suit our three yearly publications: “The People’s Friend” Annual, The Fireside Book, and The Friendship Book.
Poems for our Annual tend to be quite lighthearted and fun.
Fireside Book poems are a mix of lengths and topics, often based on the seasons.
And The Friendship Book’s poems are often faith-based, with encouraging messages of hope and cheer.
The Friendship Book template
As it’s in a calendar style, with a poem or thought for each day, Friendship Book poems also follow a template.
Occasionally, extra verses can be added, but as a rule The Friendship Book poems follow this pattern:
Intro Poem – 12 lines
January
3rd – 12 lines
21st – 12 lines
27th – 16 lines
February
4th – 12 lines
14th – 10 lines
25th – 12 lines
March
3rd – 6 lines
12th – 16 lines
17th – 16 lines
April
5th – 8 lines
20th – 12 lines
May
1st – 8 lines
10th – 16 lines
22nd – 10 lines
26th – 14 lines
June
2nd – 14 lines
23rd – 10 lines
28th – 8 lines
July
20th – 12 lines
August
18th – 16 lines
22nd – 8 lines
September
6th – 12 lines
30th – 16 lines
October
2nd – 16 lines
14th – 10 lines
November
15th – 10 lines
25th – 8 lines
December
8th – 12 lines
30th – 20 lines
If you haven’t submitted to The Friendship Book before, perhaps the template can be a good starting point.
The best way to get a feeling for the type of poetry that’s suitable for each little book is to read each one carefully.
Keep our reader in mind. Think about the topics she might be interested in — like family, friends, faith, and nature — and the tone she’d like. Perhaps a mixture of thoughtful, funny, wistful.
Take a look at our poetry submission guidelines for some help.
We’ll be looking for poems for our 2022 annuals soon!
For more on poetry in the “Friend”, click the tag below.
Lucy Crichton Better known as “Fiction Editor Lucy”, I am always on the look-out for the very best short stories, poems and pocket novels. As well as sourcing enjoyable content, I enjoy working with our established contributors, encouraging new talent, and celebrating 155 years of “Friend” fiction!
