Submit
Submissions to Canto
are currently open
You may submit twice per calendar year. Please wait until you have received a response for your first submission before submitting a second poem.
Each submission should consist of one poem between five and 25 pages in length in PDF format.
Poems may consist of multiple sections (i.e. cantos), but should be under one unified title.
Submissions should be written mostly in English, though some other languages can be included.
In your submission email, please include a bio of 50 words or less and a brief cover letter telling us the story of your poem. Each submission will receive written feedback.
Email your submission to [canto@canto.ca]
What is a long poem?
A long poem is a poem that spans multiple pages, typically over five. The content can be narrative, but can also consist of vignettes, postcard poetry, short spurts of writing that correspond to a central conceit, story, or perspective. It can be experimental or modern. It can be a collection of sonnets or pages and pages of stream-of-consciousness block text. It can be whatever you envision.
Why do long poems matter?
This is an era of shortened attention, headline bombardments, three-second videos, and mechanical interactions. It is also an era of violence and crises. The long poem is an act of resistance: it counters the contemporary speed at which we are brought to live our lives. It slows us down. It allows us the space and time to do what matters most: stop, observe, and love dearly the human and the more-than-human.