Themed submissions – previous 240126

Ten Poems about Allotments

In our first open submission window, Candlestick Press invites submissions for Ten Poems about Allotments, a mini-anthology exploring all the joy and effort of growing things in your own little patch of heaven.

We want soil, spades and seeds, sunshine and rain, harvest and blight. We want to hear about community and solitude, the occasional dog or chicken, the pride of producing to feed friends and family. Whether you have an allotment, want an allotment, or simply admire someone whose abiding passion is their allotment, this pamphlet will honour those precious spaces and dedicated people.

Timeline

Submissions close midnight GMT Friday 23rd January 2026.

What we’re looking for

• Up to 2 poems (maximum 60 lines per poem)
• Any form or style
• Previously published or unpublished work (but you must retain the copyright to previously published poems)
• Simultaneous submissions welcome and no need to withdraw if accepted elsewhere
• Poems must be your own original writing; we will not consider work written, generated or edited with the help of AI

Submission details

• Submission is free
• Deadline midnight GMT Friday 23rd January 2026
• Send your submission with the email subject header ALLOTMENTS to info@candlestickpress.co.uk
• Please include your contact details and a short 75-word biography in the body of the email
• Please attach your poems in a single Word document using Times New Roman 12-point, single line spacing, one poem per page
• Please put your name underneath each poem in Times New Roman 12-point italics
• Please save your Word document using your name as the file name

Selected poems will appear in Ten Poems about Allotments for which a fee of £75 plus 3 copies of the finished pamphlet will be paid. All submissions will receive acknowledgement and a response after the deadline; however, no feedback will be given on unsuccessful entries.

We look forward to reading your poems!

Illustration by Shutterstock/Yoyon Pujiono.