Submission Guidelines

Bristlecone welcomes poems from writers of the Mountain West region. The editors are especially eager to read poems that reflect the region’s various cultures and landscapes, although we have no restrictions in mind regarding subject matter. Our main concerns are with the quality of the work and the cultivation of a regional community of poets and poetry lovers.

Submissions are accepted year-round. Please adhere to all of the following guidelines:

  • Submit 3 to 5 unpublished poems in a single Word attachment (no poems in the body of an email) to: editors@bristleconemag.com. Submissions with more than 5 poems will not be considered.
  • Poems posted on blogs and social media are considered published, so please don’t submit them.
  • Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you let us know right away if the work is accepted elsewhere.
  • Use a header on at least the first page of your submission that includes your:
  • Full Name
  • Mailing address
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Website address (if you have one)
  • Submission should be in .doc or .docx file format (no .rtf or .pdf)
  • Times New Roman 12 pt. font—titles in bold and not all caps
  • Flush left alignment except for drop-lines, internal spaces within lines, and any other special formatting your poem requires
  • 100-word maximum bio at the end of the submission; same guideline for translator bio(s). Feel free to provide live links to your website.