These journals accept formal and/or rhymed poetry of various types, from villanelles to sonnets to lyric poetry. Many also accept non-formal verse. A couple of them pay writers. Most, but not all, of these magazines are open for submissions now.
Blue Unicorn
This is a print poetry magazine; you can read more about them here. “BU is known for welcoming formal verse, and this welcome continues. We’re impressed by poems that read as though the poet had simply thought in the form, without forced rhymes, weak words inserted to satisfy the meter, and the like. Every formal writer knows how much effort goes into seeming effortlessness.
But we look for no lesser effort in non-formal verse. We’re alert for the original metaphorical image that may take a moment to prove itself just right; the unexpected word that says more than the familiar one; the sharply observed detail that brings a thing alive. We do not tolerate clichés. We do tolerate a bit of mystery. … Given a choice, we’ll take the puzzling piece over the flat one.” They pay. Details here.
Rattle
They publish poetry, poetry translations, and book reviews. They have detailed guidelines for general submissions (send up to 4 poems), including: “We’re looking for previously unpublished poems that move us, that might make us laugh or cry, or teach us something new. We like both free verse and traditional forms—we try to publish a representative mix of what we receive.” They also have regular features, including Ekphrastic challenge, Poets respond, Prompt poems, and special submission calls (currently, one of these is on invented forms: “invented forms—poetic structures created by the poets themselves. These might include entirely new formal constraints, creative spins on traditional styles, or intuitive methods developed to suit a single poem”), as well as fee-based prizes. They pay $100 for online poetry and $200 for work accepted for print. Details here and here.
The Road Not Taken
This is a journal of formal poetry. Their Fall submission period is September to December. “We accept submissions all year. Submissions accumulate unread however until April, August and December respectively. These months are devoted to reading submissions, notifying contributors, and putting together the next issue.” Details here.
Allegro Poetry Magazine
This is a biannual online poetry magazine. Regarding their preferences, the editor says, “I have no preference for any particular form of poetry. However some poems “fit” the magazine better than others. Here are a few guidelines about what I look for in a poem:
Poems that evoke place or time
Strong characterisation if people are a central focus of the poem
Striking images
Language that is used well – not received phrases but anything too unusual has to convince me that it is exactly right and no other word would do the same job.
Well crafted formal poetry – I see too little of this and would welcome more
Poems that use rhyme and half-rhyme skilfully – again little seen please submit more”. They accept up to 4 poems, of up to 40 lines each. Their upcoming submission period is 1st December to 31st January 2025. Details here.
Grand Little Things
Their tagline is, ‘Returning Versification to Verse’. “GLT is looking for formal poetry, be it a tried and true form or an invented/nonce form. Blank and free verse will also be considered, assuming there are other aspects of standard versification.
This means that GLT will read things like the sonnet, metrical poetry, lyric poetry, narrative poetry, haiku, villanelle, etc. And just to reiterate: if your poem doesn’t fall into such stringent guidelines, BUT has a strong sense of versification, it will be considered.” Send up to 3 poems. They also accept translations. Details here and here.
The Lyric Magazine
Their website says, “Founded in 1921, The Lyric is the oldest magazine in North America in continuous publication devoted to traditional poetry.” And, “We use rhymed verse in traditional forms, for the most part, with an occasional piece of blank or free verse. Forty or so lines is our usual limit.” For general submissions, poems have to be mailed. Contributors receive a magazine copy, and are eligible for quarterly and annual cash prizes. Details here.
Pulsebeat Poetry Journal
The editor wants poems “full of music, using meter and rhyme or other means, previously unpublished” on the human condition. They have a special interest in poets in unpoetic jobs, as well as longer blank verse or rhyming poems. Send up to 5 poems, or 200 lines total length. Their reading periods are: October 1-December 31 (January issue), February 1-April 30 (May issue), and June 1-August 31 (September issue). Details here.
Muse-Pie Press: Shot Glass Journal
Mud Pie Press publishes three online poetry journals; one of them is Shot Glass Journal, “an on-line poetry journal devoted to short poetry. The journal focuses on both free verse and form poetry of 16 lines or less. Issues are posted at the end of the January, May and September.” Send up to 3 poems. The deadline is 31 December 2025. Details here, here and here.
(Muse-Pie Press also publishes the Fib Review, an online poetry journal that specializes in only one particular poetry form – the Fibonacci poem, a poetry form based on the structure of the Fibonacci number sequence; the deadline is 20th February 2026; details here and here. They also publish the Bent Ear Review, an online journal for Spoken Word Poetry; details here.)
Neologism Poetry Journal
“A wide variety of poetics works here, and you’ll have the most success submitting poems that can do these three things well:
- Feel good leaving the mouth;
- Use original or interesting language skillfully; and
- Use visual spacing, narrative pacing, consistent meter, or any combination of these to make the reading capture the reader.
In addition to the typical free verse, rhymed and blank verse is welcome, as well as lyric forms. In 2025, I’m also looking for more erasure poetry.
Thematically, writing with tinges of the dreamlike or unreal is a good bet, but anything goes.
Voices of people of color, neurodivergent people, and LGBTQ+ people are welcomed here.” Send up to 5 poems, no more than 10 pages of writing total. Details here.
THINK!
They publish “poems that emphasize craft as well as content. We are responsive to metrical verse, to strategic rhyme, to inventive uses of nonce forms, and to free verse with a clear organizing principle. We look for writing that seizes and holds attention and rewards it with revelation.” They also accept essays dealing with the art and history of poetry, as well as analyses of poems and the works of important poets; fiction; creative nonfiction; and reviews. Send up to 5 poems. They read September 1 – December 31 (for their Winter/Spring issue), and March 1 – June 30 (for their Summer/Fall issue). Details here, here. and here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
