Submissions

Utterly Human: in defense of the imperfect, the embodied and the creaturely.

Submission Period: July 1 - August 26, 2026

For this inaugural Substack reading period, Arcana Poetry Press is seeking poems that examine and challenge the growing role of AI in art and everyday life. We are interested in work that explores artistic integrity, originality, creative labor, automation, surveillance, technological dependence, dehumanization, and the value of human creativity.

This call is specifically focused on critical perspectives. Poems that advocate for, promote, or celebrate AI-generated art are not, and will never be, a fit for Arcana Poetry Press.

Selected poems will be published individually on Arcana’s Substack, with one poem appearing each Wednesday from July 8 - September 2, 2026.

 Submission Guidelines

• The submission email address will be announced on July 1, 2026 when the reading period officially opens. Please do not send submissions prior to that date.
• One poem per submission. Only one submission per poet each reading period.
• Poems must be 40 lines or fewer.
• Submissions must be previously unpublished, but prior sharing on personal social media accounts is acceptable and is not considered prior publication.
• Submit your poem as either a Microsoft Word .docx file or a PDF attachment.
• Google Doc links will not be considered.
• Poem titles are a requirement.

Include in the Body of Your Email:

• A brief third person author bio (50-100 words)
• A headshot. It doesn’t have to be formal or fancy. It can just be a picture of yourself you really love!
• A photograph you feel represents the poem
• A photo credit

By submitting a photograph, you confirm that you either own the image or have permission to use and publish it. Arcana Poetry Press reserves the right to decline images that do not meet publication requirements.

AI Policy

Poems generated partially or wholly by artificial intelligence will not be considered.

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are encouraged. Given the nature of this publication opportunity, we don’t want writers to hold their work in limbo while waiting for a response from us.

If your poem is accepted for publication elsewhere, please let us know as soon as possible so that we may withdraw it from consideration. If you forget to notify us, no worries! It happens. If we send you an acceptance notification and the work is no longer available, just please let us know at that time.

Rights

Copyright remains with the author.

By submitting a poem, you grant Arcana Poetry Press first electronic publication rights and the non-exclusive right to archive the published work on our Substack. Arcana Poetry Press may also use poem titles, excerpts, author bios, and accompanying images for promotional purposes related to the publication.

Payment & Fees

Submissions are free.

At this time, Arcana is unable to offer payment for Substack publication.

Response Policy

Accepted contributors will be contacted on a rolling basis throughout the reading period.

Due to the anticipated volume of submissions and the fact that we are a very small team, only accepted contributors will receive a response.

If you do not receive a response by September 2, 2026, it means we passed on your submission this time around, but please keep us in mind for future submissions!

We always welcome returning poets. Remember, just because your work might not be the right fit during one reading period, does not mean it won’t be the right fit during the next one. Keep writing, keep submitting, keep going. Your voice matters.

We are so excited to launch this new chapter of Arcana Poetry Press and to connect with our community in a new way. We can't wait to discover the poets and poems that will shape Utterly Human.

Submissions for Smitten with the Written are now closed.

Thank you to everyone who submitted. All submission responses have been sent. Our poet acceptance rate for this anthology was 21%. If you haven't received your submission response, please reach out to support@arcanapoetrypress.com

Full-length manuscript submissions are now closed.

Thank you to everyone who submitted. All submission responses have been sent. Our acceptance rate for manuscript submissions was 5.3%. If you haven't received your submission response, please reach out to support@arcanapoetrypress.com.