Poetry in Public

2009 Selected Poets and their Poetry

2008 Selected Poets and their Poetry

2007 Selected Poets and their Poetry

2006 Selected Poets and their Poetry

 Find Poetry in Public on Facebook! 

SUBMISSION INFORMATION (Submission closed until 2013)

2012 PIP Sumbission Form

2012 PIP Submission Guidelines

Now in its ninth year, Iowa City’s Poetry in Public project is accepting poetry submissions from writers of all ages. Published and unpublished poets in Johnson County are invited to submit their poems for consideration. Submissions will be due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10th 2012.

IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION THAT YOUR POEM HAS BEEN RECEIVED WITH 2 BUSINESS DAYS, PLEASE CONTACT MARCIA BOLLINGER AT MARCIA-BOLLINGER@IOWA-CITY.ORG OR AT 319-356-5237.

Rules for submission include:

• You must be a resident of Johnson County, Iowa to have your work considered.
• Only one poem per author will be considered.
• The poem can be no more than 7 lines (not including the title) and can be either an existing or new work.
• Poems are generally published as is; therefore, we ask that teachers and/or parents work with students on proper spelling and punctuation before submission.
• An excerpt from a longer poem will be considered if it can stand alone.
• Poems will be judged on quality of writing as well as accessibility and suitability for public display before a general audience.
• Special complex formatting of submitted poems should be avoided, particularly “Word Art” type word/graphics and words/letters that are diagrammed as pictures.
• If reprint permissions are required, please get permission prior to submitting your work. 
• Include your name, address, and phone number with your e-mail submission, or mail the attached form with your submission. Please include an email address with mailed submissions if possible. A teacher’s email is adequate if submissions are generated through a school process.
• Submissions for the 2012 program are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10th 2012.
• Copies of submitted poems will not be returned.

Send your poem to:

Poetry in Public Project, Attn: Marcia Bollinger
410 East Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240.

All poetry submissions will be judged by an independent panel of writing professionals, librarians, and the general public. Writers whose poems are chosen for display will be notified in early March. While there is no honorarium offered, each writer whose work is displayed will receive a copy of the poster featuring his/her poem.

The Poetry in Public project reserves the right to refuse poems that are too long or could be seen as unsuitable for public display. For more information contact: Marcia Bollinger, Iowa City Public Art Program, at 319-356-5237 or marcia-bollinger@iowa-city.org.