Poetry Breakfast

Poetry Breakfast is now open for poetry submissions.

Yes, we are getting ready for the relaunch of Poetry Breakfast.
Publication of new poems will begin April 24th, 2023.

Submissions are being accepted now!

View our submission guidelines here. We look forward to reading your poems.

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Wondering what we’re looking for? Here’s some food for thought when considering which of your poems to submit.

At Poetry Breakfast, our goal is to be a sort of literary soup kitchen.  Each day we deliver a poem or short play script that nourishes our humanity.  In a world where politics, opinions, misinformation, and downright total madness are tossed at us from the moment we wake and check our Facebook feed until the second we go to sleep, Poetry Breakfast delivers something with genuine human compassion. 

Our focus is on the truth of how we are all the same on the inside.  We aim to help people begin their day by helping them connect to our collective humanity through poetry and short plays.  Anyone anywhere in the world can stop in at our website for a literary bite to eat.  We also have a daily morning delivery service to email inboxes.  (We even sneak some nourishment into social media feeds.)  

Think of the audience for and purpose of Poetry Breakfast when selecting which poems and short plays to submit.  There are plenty of great pieces of work that do not fit our menu.  Send those elsewhere. 

Remember that most of our readers are taking a very quick moment to get a fix of poetry and short plays.  15 to 50 lines tend to be just the right length for poems and 2-8 pages for short plays. 

Pay close attention to the attitude of your poems and short plays. We want our readers to feel connected on a deeply human level.  Send the rants, complaints, and debates to another journal.  They won’t fit here. 

While it is with love that we do this, that doesn’t mean we want romantic love poems.  We don’t publish falling in/out of love, sex, obsession, odes to the flesh, or break-up poems. Think of all the other kinds of love – family, friends, nature, special interests that one has, community, etc. 

Also, remember that we are an international journal.  Our readers come from over 100 countries and reflect a vast array of religions, political backgrounds, and cultures.  Poems and short plays should go beneath the surface of those external differences and focus on the similarities we all have within us.

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We invite you to follow us:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoetryBreakfastWritersCafe

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/PBWritersCafe

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The Poetry Breakfast Kitchen Reopens:

I don’t know about you…but I miss Poetry Breakfast. We, the readers, writers, and me as the editor were a community. One with a love of language and an appreciation of humanity expressed through poetry.

It’s been four years since the “kitchen” closed. Yet, without a single new post in those years, the site still has an average of 400 views each month. That might sound small, but I’ve done nothing to drive any traffic to the site. Readers and poets published in the journal receive all the credit for continuing the life (though a dormant life) of Poetry Breakfast.

Since its first birth in 2011, Poetry Breakfast has closed and reopened twice. Now, yes, I’m opening the kitchen again.

What’s On the Menu:

The heart of Poetry Breakfast will remain the same. Nothing bitter, saccharine, or too sweet. Something that reflects the connectivity of our humanity through the written word.

That doesn’t mean this incarnation will be identical to its past lives. Poetry Breakfast has always added to and subtracted from the menu.

A new poem will be served every morning Monday thru Friday.

The newest item on the menu will be Saturday Matinees featuring a short play to read.

Why? One I’ve been transitioning from screenwriting to playwriting thus it fits with where I am as a writer now. Also, it has a sort of harmony with poetry. Reading a short play is not a far leap from reading a poem. Plus, it offers a special treat to those who wouldn’t otherwise want or be able to find short plays to read in other literary journals.

Funding For Poetry Breakfast:

Another change, one I’m admittedly uncomfortable with, is the addition of money into the matter. Fear not. Standard submissions will always remain free. Poetry Breakfast could not be true to itself or its purpose if suddenly everyone had to pay to submit.

There will be a special “fast response” submission option for a nominal fee. It’s completely optional. Poets and playwrights can choose to either submit for free and receive a response in 3-6 weeks. Or they can choose to leave a $5 Tip and receive a response to their submission within 7 days.

You’ll also find a “Tip Jar” and you can visit the Support Poetry Breakfast page for other ways to financially (and also for no cost) help support and grow Poetry Breakfast.

Before you cringe any furth at the thought of money (trust me I’ve done enough cringing for all of us) please keep in mind that I started Poetry Breakfast in 2011. It’s been fully funded by me since the day it started. There was a brief few months that one or two readers generously contributed a few dollars while I experimented with Patreon. Aside from that, I’ve essentially spent twelve years personally paying for web hosting and domain registration (among other miscellaneous expenses) all on my own. While also doing the work of the editor, web designer, and promoter as an unpaid labor of love.

It’s not a complaint. I’m proud of every poet and poem published in Poetry Breakfast. I had the honor of nominating poems for The Best of the Net and for the Pushcart Prize. I believe all of the work we’ve published here deserves a sacred and lasting place on the internet to be seen, read, respected and returned to over and over again.

However, there does come a time when I need to cover the expenses and maybe get a couple of dollars for the endless hours I put into running Poetry Breakfast.

I know poets would love to be paid for being published, but at this point, I’m starting with just covering the operating costs. Maybe someday things will grow enough for Poetry Breakfast to become a paying market – but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. For now, just covering the costs of operation would make a great start!

Poetry Submission Are Now Being Accepted:

Right now, poetry submissions are open. Short play submissions will be opening in the next few days.

Okay, if you read the funding part, this will make sense. (If you didn’t, go back and read that section. You’ll understand.)

Click here to view the Poetry Submission Guidelines.

When The First “Dish” Will Be Served:

The first poem in Poetry Breakfast’s rebirth will be posted on Monday the 24^th of April 2023.

Please Excuse the Dust and Construction Mess:

Between now and the publication of the first poem on the 24^th of April 2023, I will be revamping the site. So, things may look a little wonky and updates will be in flux. But don’t worry. It’ll all be looking good when the kitchen serves up that first poem on the 24^th.

To Old Friends and New Ones:

I want to welcome back all of you who have been with Poetry Breakfast over the years. Some of you from the very first days!

And to those who are just finding Poetry Breakfast, I extend a warm welcome. Hopefully, you’ll come to find that our kitchen serves up more than just words. The goal is to create a feast that provides the warmth and comfort of community and offers a language that nourish the spirit as we travel through this wild and wondrous world.

Takes Care Always,

Kay Kestner

Editor, Poetry Breakfast

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