PHIL LIT Journal — (POETRY) 2026 WINTER ISSUE General Submissions

About this call

PHIL LIT Journal's 2026 Winter General Submissions call is organized around the twin poles of 'Impressions & Inheritance.' The theme is deliberately expansive, inviting poets to consider how experience is registered and how legacy—aesthetic, familial, cultural—is carried forward or refused. The journal seeks work that engages these ideas without recourse to the obvious or the sentimental; the editors' stated openness to interpretation suggests a curatorial appetite for the oblique, the formally restless, and the intellectually rigorous. The journal accepts poetry (up to three poems, six pages maximum) and hybrid, broadside, or experimental work (up to two pieces, two pages maximum) in a single document per submission. Work must be in English or accompanied by an English translation by the owner. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but immediate withdrawal is required upon acceptance elsewhere. The journal does not consider previously published work or AI-generated writing, and it explicitly excludes erotica, excessive gore, animal abuse, and hate speech. There is no submission fee. Only one general submission per reading period is allowed, though multiple entries for the Summer and Winter Contests are permitted. New and emerging writers are encouraged to submit, indicating a commitment to widening the field rather than reinforcing existing hierarchies. The journal asks that submitters familiarize themselves with past issues—a standard but telling request that signals a preference for work in conversation with the journal's evolving aesthetic. For poets attuned to the interplay of memory and form, this call offers a serious venue with clear parameters and a discerning readership.

How to apply