About us:
Writing for human rights
protestpoems.org is a poetry journal entirely devoted to, and fully committed to, new poetry that tackles human rights issues worldwide.
The journal strives to present the best poems of protest written to promote freedom of speech and human rights. It is updated ‘relentlessly’. We publish a maximum six poems a month to keep a steady flow of relevant protests. Although we update the journal often, we are very selective. We are looking for edge.
The website and mailing lists provide information about persecuted writers, along with letters of protest ready for our subscribers to cut and paste. To receive emails (once a month, on average) with protest information focused on a specific persecuted writer, send an email to write(at)protestpoems.org. Please write SUBSCRIBE in your subject line.
Submission guidelines
It’s simple.
We’re not looking for partisan propganda. We’re not looking for party-political mouthings. We’re not looking for sentimental depictions of what you see on the TV. We’re not looking for rhyming greetings card verses.
We want you to champion, not yourselves, but human rights; the rights of those who don’t have the freedom to write and speak as we do. Rage. Celebrate. Mourn. Demand. Scream. Dance.
Formal complaints are especially exciting. There’s something wonderfully subversive about a villanelle that attacks a government deliberately making the same mistake over and over again.
If you need to be inspired, read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Then check out any objective newsfeed or news site.
Paste your poems (a maximum of 3 one-page poems), into the body of an email and send to write(at)protestpoems.org. If necessary, you can email a single .doc or .rtf file containing all the poems you are submitting.
Include a brief bio.
We will accept poems previously published on paper, as long as you hold the copyright. We will not accept poems which are already (or have previously been) published online (including blogs).
If your poem deals with a specific call for action, or commemorates a specific person, please let us know.
We look forward to reading your poems.
In hope for a better world,
Richard Pierce-Saunderson, Chief Editor
Cati Porter, Assoc. Editor
Ren Powell, Assoc. Editor (founder of protestpoems.org)
Disclaimer:
The editors of protestpoems.org do not necessarily share specific political views expressed through the poems presented on these pages. We strive to avoid partisan politics in regard to editorial choices, and aim to focus on larger issues of human rights and freedom of speech. That said, if we find something offensive to our personal ethics, we will not present it here.
Fortunately, we do not have the power of real censorship. Please look into self-publishing options if you feel anyone is unjustly dismissing your work. If your publishing options are being infringed upon by your government, contact Amnesty International, IFEX, Article 19, PEN or other human rights organizations.
