poetry requirements page image

Your Story in Verse

It’s hard to find a medium that tugs harder on the heartstrings than poetry! If you’re a creative writer and get inspired by the nomadic life from time to time, here’s a place for you to submit your work.

CONTENT GUIDELINES

  • Poems must address topics and issues TCKs deal with (e.g. identity, moving around, making/losing friends, saying goodbye, etc. Read previously published poems to get a feel for what we are looking for.) 
  • Poems must uphold Biblical perspective and values, and adhere to our Statement of Faith, as we are a Christian ministry. 
  • Poems should be written with the broader hopeful perspective that we as Christians have in mind. Hope is not the same as resolution. Your poetry doesn’t have to be cheery–life isn’t easy–but we do have an eternal hope. Poems may (and should!) discuss difficult topics and real feelings, but we prefer poems that don’t just end with darkness.
  • Please do a search on the website beforehand to ensure your poem is not too similar to one previously published. If you are not sure, submit it and we will let you know. 
  • There is no need to provide images. Our team will do this for you. 
  • We prefer to use poems that have not been published previously (because we don’t want to run into copyright issues). However, if you have published a poem on your personal blog or submitted one to a poetry contest, and you believe it would fit our website, you may send us a query, and we will consider it. 
  • We do not accept pitches. Please send us your full poem. 
  • All work must be your own. When quoting others, make sure you have permission and include the reference.

STRUCTURE & STYLE

  • Our ideal length would be somewhere between 100–500 words (1-2 pages, ~70 lines), but feel free to submit something shorter or longer, and we will consider it (after all, this is poetry!).
  • Any poetry style is welcome. 
  • You can use either British or American English as long as you are consistent throughout the poem. 
  • Please capitalize pronouns when referring to God. 
  • When quoting Scripture, please include the reference and the translation. Translations we allow are KJV, NKJV, ESV, and NIV.

HOW TO SUBMIT

  • Submit your poem by email to team@tcksforchrist.com. Paste your poem (the title and draft) into the body of your email (no attachments). 
  • You are welcome to submit as many poems as you want.
  • If this is your first time publishing a poem on our website, please include a 60–80 word bio written in third person. If you would like to, you can send a good picture of yourself to go along with the bio, but this is not mandatory. It is possible to be published anonymously if it is a question of safety and privacy for either you or the people around you. 
  • If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks, feel free to contact us. 
  • If your poem is accepted, we will edit it for minor mistakes. If your poem requires a lot of editing, we will reject it. 
  • Once your poem is accepted*, it will be published on our website as part of a quarterly collection of poems, and we will post about it on our social media profiles. 

Everyone at TCKs for Christ volunteers; contributing writers will not be compensated.

Still have questions? Please contact team@tcksforchrist.com. We look forward to your contribution!

*We reserve the right to reject a submission if it does not align with what the Bible says, needs major editing, or is in any other way not suitable for the ministry.