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Literary Journal

Silkworm

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About the magazine

SILKWORM is the annual poetry pamphlet series published by Florence Poets, an independent press based in Florence, Italy. Founded in 2016, the series was conceived as a deliberate counterpoint to the rapid, volume-driven cycles of contemporary poetry publishing. Each year, SILKWORM selects a small number of poets for a single-pamphlet commission, offering them editorial attention, design collaboration, and a modest print run. The press operates with a clear ethos: poetry as a slow craft, where the pamphlet is not a stepping stone but a complete artistic statement. The series has no fixed aesthetic, but it consistently favors work that is attentive to language, resistant to easy resolution, and comfortable with silence and omission.

Editorial focus

Florence Poets Society, founded in 2004, was formed so poets could promote and share their writing with each other and with the public. For over nearly twenty years, it has served not only regional poets but includes writers from all over the globe. This year’s SILKWORM 18 theme is Cycle, whatever that means to you: seasons, things that occur and reoccur, cycles of birth and death, nature’s many cycles, relationships of all sorts.

Poetry

Submitting your work

Reading periodFeb 15 to Mar 15
Reading feeNo
PaymentContributor copies only
Response time3 to 6 months
Simultaneous submissionsYes
Unsolicited submissionsYes

SILKWORM opens submissions once a year, typically in early spring, with a deadline announced on the Florence Poets website and social media. Submit a complete pamphlet manuscript of 18–24 pages, not a sample. There is no fee. Read the full guidelines before sending: they specify formatting, page count, and the press’s preference for unpublished work. Do not query about status before the stated response window. The editors value concision and coherence over thematic buzzwords; a cover letter that simply states your previous publications and why this manuscript is a pamphlet—not a full collection—is sufficient. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but withdraw immediately if placed elsewhere. If declined, the press does not offer feedback, but it does welcome new work in the following cycle.

While each annual SILKWORM has a particular theme, it is possible to submit something tangental or off-theme. We have a dedicated group of volunteer readers and they read with integrity. You are encouraged to submit a poem (up to three) that you feel would be a good fit for our publication. Please follow the guidelines on the SILKWORM page located at: http://florencepoets.com/p/silkworm.html There is no cost to submit. Contributors receive one free copy. All other copies are typically $20.

Read official guidelines

Submission calls

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OpenDeadline · 2027-02-15

SILKWORM — Submissions

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