We welcome and encourage submissions from underrepresented voices in literary journals—including women and non-binary writers, people of color, members of immigrant communities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as those living at the intersections of these identities.

Please submit no more than three (3) poems, or seven (7) pages total.

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Pittsburgh means family. Pittsburgh means welcome. It means generosity. It means transformation. It means wipe yourself off and get up again. It means "here, take my hand." Pittsburgh means be who you are.

Our city, once loud with the clang of steel, now rings with the voices of new generations. It is a city that bridges contradictions, caught somewhere between a small town and a metropolis. Pittsburgh combines tradition and innovation, grit and compassion. It is a city of seasons—sometimes 3 or 4 cycling through within one day. We are a resilient city of increasing diversity, opportunity, and inclusivity.

We are doctors, researchers, engineers, artists, entrepreneurs, and ordinary folks making our way. We are all walks of life, all races and ethnicities, all sexual orientations, all genders. We're a well-kept secret of arts, literature, and culture, and also a community of nationally recognized names. This is not to say we are a safe haven or oasis; we are multitudes. Those of us willing to do the work to confront issues and challenge comfort and status quo are those who transform the language of our landscape.

But Pittsburgh Poetry Journal is not restricted to citizens, friends or visitors to our city. PPJ welcomes and encourages submissions worldwide; from those underrepresented in literary journals, including women and non-binary writers, people of color, immigrant communities, and LGBTQIA+ community members.

We want work that clangs with grit, passion, and diversity. We want your work that builds on or breaks traditions and strives for progress. We want work that speaks to the spirit of this city from any corner of the world.