The Gloucester400+ welcomes your poetry submissions as part of our 400 Stories Project.As we all know, poems can have a unique way of telling a story! Accepted poems may be published online, read at an event, or possibly included in a commemorative book to be published in 2023. Please read the guidelines below.

GUIDELINES

The poem must be about a person or the people of Gloucester or Rockport OR the
experience of living in either of these places.

1. The poem can be about people living here today, or anytime in the past.
2. The poem cannot be longer than 300 words.
3. We accept all kinds of poetry including free-verse and haiku.
4. We are especially interested in poems that tell the story of oppressed persons or people, people who many have been marginalized, mispresented or unheard previously. For example, this may include indigenous or native peoples or their descendants, enslaved
   peoples and their descendants, and more. Please see our Diversity Statement for more details at http://www.gloucesterma400.org/diversity-equity/.
5. The submission can include one photo, if you have submitting it for online publication. This photo must be high resolution, large and clear. Please only submit a photo you own OR have permission to use, with a proper photo credit. If you are using someone else’s photo, please be sure to get written permission to use the photo in this project and send the permission to us
6. Poetry can be difficult to “edit” in the traditional sense, so we advise our poets to have a fellow poet, or a writing group review your poem before submission.
7. Submit your poem in Microsoft Word.
8. If your poem has been previously published, please send along a copyright statement, letting us know you own the rights to republish the poem with the 400. If you are not sure
   you own the rights, check with the publication or website which first published your poem. If it turns out you do not own the rights to republish, we will need a statement from the original publisher that you can reprint the poem as you see fit. If you have any questions about copyright, please email us at the address below.
9. For the time being, we are only accepting 1-2 poems per person for publishing online.
10. Include a brief bio about yourself, no more than 60 words.

Please submit your poem to mystory@gloucesterma400.org. Once we receive it, we will be in touch
with more details. These guidelines are subject to change, please revisit us often for the latest
updates and be sure to follow us on Facebook for the latest news about the Stories Project!