Guidelines for Contributors

(Last update, Jan 30, 2026)

Email for submissions:
journalcoldmoon(at)gmail(dot)com

Editors: Timothy Daly, Oana Cercel.

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You may submit a single email per reading period containing 1-5 poems (e.g. haiku, senryu, tanka) or one haibun, tanka prose, or haiga.

The submission windows are as follows:

Jan 1 — February 15 open. February 16 — March 31 closed.

April 1 — May 15 open. May 16 — June 30 closed.

July 1 — August 15 open. August 16 — September 30 closed.

October 1 — November 15 open. November 16 — December 31 closed.

Poems must be uncurated, original (no AI), not under consideration elsewhere, and in English. We encourage translations alongside, but the quality of the English version will determine publication. 

No e-mail attachments will be opened. Please send to: journalcoldmoon(at)gmail(dot)com.

All writing styles welcomed. We are happy to receive your artwork, particularly haiga sketches and black-and-white photographs.

Both acceptance and rejection notices are sent. 

You will never see anything here that suggests racism, violence or prejudice.

All rights revert back to the poet upon publication. However, we will be featuring selected work on CMJ social media. See, for example, our Instagram, Facebook & TikTok! So by submitting, you give us tacit permission to share accepted work on different social media platforms including Instagram, X, BlueSky, YouTube and TikTok (as part of video readings and other adaptations). Moreover, authors grant us the non-exclusive right to publish their work in the journal and in future print and/or digital anthologies, including those for sale. Authors retain all other rights to their work.

We nominate for various annual haiku and poetry awards.