Free State Review is a literary magazine that positions poetry as an expansive field—one where a poem may encompass anything from the quiet rhythm of two people playing tennis to the declarative force of an anthem. The journal's editorial statement resists prescriptive definitions, instead favoring work that operates with conviction and formal awareness. This call is for poetry submissions to an upcoming issue, with accepted work granted First North American Serial Rights and a six-month website publication period following print. Rights revert to the author after printing, with a request for acknowledgment of first publication should the work appear elsewhere. The submission process is straightforward: a $12 reading fee applies, and simultaneous submissions are permitted provided the journal is notified. The editors have issued a specific prohibition—'No more oyster poems, please'—signaling a curatorial fatigue with a particular trope and, by extension, a desire for poems that resist the well-worn. This is not a themed issue; the scope is the full range of contemporary poetry, but the sensibility is one of discernment and perhaps a touch of wit. What artists receive is publication in a journal that takes poetry seriously without sanctimony. There is no cash prize, no residency, no exhibition—only the printed page and a digital presence for six months. For poets, that is the essential transaction: work placed before readers who are paying attention. The journal's tone suggests an editorial board that reads closely and values poems that know what they are doing, even if they refuse to announce it.