Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! In place of Writing Prompt Wednesday this week, we want to share a new opportunity with you: our first paid opportunity!

Starting with the rest of September 2023, Lit Shark Magazine will host a monthly Poem of the Month! 

Submissions will be considered from the 1st through the 25th of each month, and the winner will be published on the 15th of the following month (example: submissions received September 1 through 25 will be considered for October’s Poem of the Month, and that poem will be featured on October 15).

These poems do not need to be of a particular theme or style, but they must be original to you and cannot be a reprint.

One winner will be selected each month, and they will receive:

• $20 honorarium
• A digital copy of an original broadside created of their poem
• A feature on LitShark.com
• Inclusion in the next issue of Lit Shark Magazine (unless it’s the Spooky Edition, in which case the poem would be featured if it’s spooky in nature, or else it would be featured in the fourth issue of the year instead)

Additional Honorable Mentions may also be selected, and they would be noted in the monthly Poem of the Month feature on LitShark.com, and they would also be included in the next issue of Lit Shark Magazine (again, with the possible exception of the Spooky Edition).

If you’d like to submit, please see our Submissions Page (specifically the Poem of the Month section) to see our guidelines. We cannot wait to see what you come up with, and we’re so excited for the opportunity to see more of your work more often.

Happy Writing and Happy Submitting!
—McKenzie, EIC and FSF (Fellow Shark Fan)