You have gathered your poems together and are ready to send them to magazines, journals and/or e-zines. Before putting them in an envelope and sending them off, it is a good idea to write a cover letter. Editors get a lot of submissions and so at times they may not have the time to read everyone. Some may skim over them quickly looking for grammar and spelling, catching their attention right away and weed submissions out that way. Writing a cover letter is a way to show off your personality, get noticed and the important thing get read.
Tips to writing a cover letter
Keep it short and sweet and keep it to one page.
Type it and sign in ink.
Think of writing and formatting this cover letter as writing a business letter. At the top of the cover letter include: the date, your address, the magazine’s name and address.
If you have the poetry editor’s name, use it whenever possible.
Open with a statement like this, “Please consider the enclosed poems for publication.” List the titles of the poems.
Talk about the familiarity such as what you know, read or have enjoyed with the journal.
Don’t just ask to be considered for publication. Let them know in a few sentences about you, but keep it relevant. I am International Relations major working
as a Project Manager for a consulting company that enjoy writing poetry. Knowing this could be more interesting. Not all poetry writers are in the arts field.
Talk about your accomplishments! Any education or work experience in the literary world and any previous publications.
Thank them for considering your poems.
Ever heard of work smarter, not harder? Keep a template cover letter on your computer.
Cover letter Worksheet
Not sure what to say in the cover letter? Is this your first time writing a cover letter? Here are a list of questions to get the juices flowing that may help putting the cover letter together easier.
What journal are you sending it to?
What issue(s) are you familiar with?
Have you ever met, seen, or heard of the editor?
Do you have a connection to the region or the institution where the magazine is located?
What do you like about the magazine?
Do you have an education in writing or literature? If so, what is it?
What do you do in life? What’s interesting about it?
Is there anything distinctive about your life that’s also relevant to the poems?
What are your previous publications, literary awards, prizes, or accomplishments? List these.
List anything extra that you think you might include in your letter.
Poetry Submission
Poetry we write can have a specific audience we want to reach. For those looking to submit poems to magazines, journals and e-zines relating to gender, religion and people with disabilities, I have included some magazines and contacts along with contacts for states Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota are included as well. Some addresses are not listed, but can be found on-line.
MN magazines relating to gender, religion and people with disabilities
The Evergreen Chronicles (gay/lesbian/bi/trans/journal)
PO Box 8939
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Expressions (people with disabilities)
PO Box 16294
Saint Paul, MN 55116
Guild Press (people of color)
PO Box 22583
Robbinsdale, MN 55422
Hurrican Alice (feminist journal)
207 Lind Hall
207 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
The Luthern Journal (spiritual)
7317 Cahill Rd
Edina, MN 55439
Paj Ntaub Voice (Hmong)
Center for Hmong Arts and Talent
286 Prescott St
Saint Paul, MN 55107
Sing Heavenly Muse! (feminist journal)
PO Box 13320
Minneapolis, MN 54414
Today (Roman Catholic Magazine)
1884 Randolph
Saint Paul, MN 55106
James White Review (gay men’s quarterly)
PO Box 3356
Butler Quartr Station
Minneapolis, MN 55403 Ace (literary & visual arts magazine)
PO Box 55405
Minneapolis, MN 55405
Minnesota magazine and journal contacts
Ace (literary & visual arts magazine)
PO Box 55405
Minneapolis, MN 55405
Borealis Literary Review -The Magazine of Northern Literature, Art & Culture
1216 Selby Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
info@borealislitreview.org
www.borealislisreview.org
Peter H. Morgan, Editor
The Corresponder
Minnesota State University
English Department
MSU 53
PO Box 8400
Mankato, MN 56002-8400
Elysian Fields Quarterly (poems and stories about baseball)
Kumquat Meringue
PO Box 736
Pine Island, MN 55963
Loonfeather Press (journal of Minnesota writers)
PO Box 1212
Bemidji, MN 56601
Mankato Poetry Review
English Dept
Box 53
Mankato State University
Mankato, MN 56001
Minnesota Literature (listings of Minnesota literary events, competitions, workshops and opportunities)
1387 Berkeley Street
Saint Paul, MN 55105
www.minnesotaliterature.org
Mizna
PO Box 14294
Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.mizna.org
Poetry in Motion (emerging poets)
PO Box 173
Bayport, MN 55003
Poetry Motel
1619 Jefferson
Duluth, MN 55812
Rag Mag
PO Box 12
Goodhue, MN 55027
The Rake
Publishing fiction & creative nonfiction
800 Washington Avenue North #504
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Raven Productions
PO Box 188
Ely, MN 55731
www.ringbwcahome.com/memories.html
realgoodwords (zine publishing poetry, fiction, essays by adult and student writers)
269 Birchdale Road North
Brainerd, MN 56401
realgoodwords@yahoo.com
Singing River Publications, Inc.
PO Box 72
Ely, MN 55731-0072
www.singingriverpublications.com/
Speakeasy (national quarterly literary magazine)
The Loft Literary Center
Suite 200
Open Book
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Editor: Bart Schneider
Slate
PO Box 581189
Minneapolis, MN 55458
Spout Press (fiction, poetry, thought, art)
PO Box 581067
Minneapolis, MN 55458-1067
Studio One (literary/visual arts journal)
PO Box 1558
St. Joseph, MN 56374
Taconite Runes
www.paulbunyan.net/users/gsirvio/taconiterunes
Three Candles (Web publication featuring writers’ resources and criticism)
Urban Pioneer (Poetry, fiction, reviews reflecting an urban Twin Cities point of view)
www.urbanpioneer.org
A View from the Loft (bi-monthly Loft membership magazine)
The Loft Literary Center
Suite 200
Open Book
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Water~Stone (literary journal)
Graduate Liveral Studies Program
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Whistling Shade (literary journal)
PO Box 7084
Saint Paul, MN 55107
WRITERS’ Journal
PO Box 394
Perham, MN 56573
www.writersjournal.com
writersjournal@writersjournal.com
North Dakota magazine and journal contacts
North Dakota Quarterly
Box 7209
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND 58202-7209
South Dakota magazine and journal contacts
South Dakota Review
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, SD 57069
