By Peter Jastermsky

memory foam

another chance

for first impressions

Peter Jastermsky

By Michelle Cicillini

the ocean waves—hello and goodbye

Michelle Cicillini

Agnes Eva Savich

girlhood the power of the gaze

Agnes Eva Savich

Guidelines for Contributors

(Last update, Jan 30, 2026)

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

Editors: Timothy Daly, Oana Cercel.

 ~~~~

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.

Mona Bedi

full moon

the nights you sang

me a lullaby

Mona Bedi

By Ram Chandran

lying

under starlit sky

I think of Van Gogh

Ram Chandran

By David He

the pine shadow

sweeps onto the window

every night

as the moon rises

our cat stares

David He

By Keith Evetts

on the one hand

I couldn't live

forever wondering

what's on

the other hand 

 

Keith Evetts

By Orrin PréJean

dandelion seeds

the confetti

of my childhood

Orrin PréJean

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

everything i no longer crave after the forest

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

By Keith Evetts

square moon someone else's god

Keith Evetts

By Orrin PréJean

my

forties –

a

time

of

ma-

ny

ad-

just-

ments

Orrin PréJean

Through the Telescope: Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

We congratulate frequent contributor Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, recognized as a top-eight volunteer (of more than 6,000) for the NASA citizen science project, Active Asteroids. Way to go, Tiffany!

 

 

By Orrin PréJean

summer day

going over month's budget

shirtless

Orrin PréJean

By Keith Evetts

pasque flowers

what if everything

is true

Keith Evetts

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

fire crackles the algebra within a petal

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

By Orrin PréJean

in the night suspended between shadow and more shadow

Orrin PréJean

By Keith Evetts

so many birds my empty hands

Keith Evetts

from every angle by Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

 To purchase any of this artist’s works: society6(dot)com

 

 

By Orrin PréJean

derailed train

*

 

how apt

a metaphor

of my life 

  

Orrin PréJean