Poem Stellium





MY MIND project
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Poem Stellium publishes original poetry and short stories by individuals who have a personal connection to mental illness. While lived experience is not a requirement, we prioritise work by those who have directly navigated mental health challenges themselves.

We also welcome submissions from individuals who are connected to mental illness through a loved one — whether a friend, partner, or family member. Your perspective matters too.

We strongly encourage openness, honesty, and emotional depth in the writing we feature. We believe that vulnerability is powerful, and your story — however it arrives — may help others feel seen, heard, or understood.

In addition to written work, we welcome professional-quality photography and original illustrations to accompany your poem or short story. Visual submissions should complement the emotional or thematic tone of your written piece and must be your own original work (or submitted with the proper rights and permissions).

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING SUBMISSIONS

To ensure a fair and efficient review process, all submissions must strictly follow the guidelines outlined below. Submissions that do not adhere to the required format, do not include all requested materials, or skip any part of the submission requirements will not be accepted.

Please carefully read and follow all instructions, including file format, page numbering, and the inclusion of your name, email, cover letter, and biography.

Due to the volume of submissions, if you do not hear from us within 60 days of submitting your work, please consider that we will not be moving forward with your submission at this time. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for taking the time to follow our submission guidelines.

COVER LETTER

Please include a cover letter describing your relationship to mental illness — whether personal, or through a friend or family member. If your work is accepted, we will also request a short biography that includes this information.

POETRY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Submit 3–5 poems.
  • All poems should be grouped together in a single Word document (.doc or .docx).
  • Please do not send PDFs.
  • Pages should be numbered.
  • Your name and email address must appear at the top of the first page.
  • Include a short biography at the end of the document.

SHORT STORY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Stories should be between 500–1000 words each.
  • You may submit 1–3 stories at a time.
  • All stories must be compiled into a single Word document (.doc or .docx).
  • Please do not send PDFs.
  • Pages should be numbered.
  • Your name and email address must appear at the top of the first page of each story.

Rights & Future Publication Notice

Authors retain full copyright of their work. By submitting, you grant Poem Stellium one-time rights for publication, including:

  • Publication on the Poem Stellium website
  • Potential inclusion in future printed or digital collections, such as zines, anthologies, or other public showcases, including poetry fairs or exhibitions

We do not accept previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but if your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately.

PRIVACY

If your work is accepted, you consent to having your name, the title(s) of your work, and a brief biography published on the Poem Stellium website.

We will take reasonable steps to protect your information from being accessed by internet crawlers, but we cannot guarantee full protection against all web indexing.

FORMAT & SUBMISSION PROCESS

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.

Please attach your work as a .doc or .docx file and email it to submissions@poemstellium.com with “MY MIND SUBMISSION” in the subject line.