Skip to Content

An Important Announcement
We are excited to announce the long-awaited Duotrope community! Create your profile, high five your fellow creators, and journey along Rejection Road.

American Poetry Journal (APJ)

See other projects related to this listing.

We list other projects with similar titles. Please check that you report any submissions under the correct listing.

About

APJ strives to publish poems we cannot shake off because they’re unique; they’re intestinal; they’re honest; they progress, leave us deep rooted and committed. We look for distinctiveness, want bold metaphors, sonics like we’ve never heard before, a shared purpose in the unfolding of the poem. We want poems that question humanity and engage us in contemporary as well as age-old concepts, but we’d love a dreamscape with imagery that leaves us questioning ourselves. Challenge us without pretentiousness and show us craft woven/broken/spun/sifted through glass—the unimaginable, the courageous, the sublime.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, except for one day per reading period. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).
Important: We list their Micro E-Chapbook project separately.
Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2004

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Statistics Synopsis

Faster
American Poetry Journal's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging
American Poetry Journal's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive
American Poetry Journal's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Expand section Nonfiction Closed

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Send us poems that "are not contained within themselves" but open out in some way, always.

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 November 2026 12:00 AM EDT (in 58 days) through 30 November 2026.

3

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $25 honorarium.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 November 2026 12:00 AM EDT (in 58 days) through 30 November 2026.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 5 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$10-49 per piece) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $25 honorarium.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

American Poetry Journal Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 589 reports from 516 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
1 min | 8.2 mean avg | 8.0 median | 44 max days (5.5 std dev)
Responses
99.49 %
Acceptances:
3.06 % of submissions accepted (12.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 3.49 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections:
96.43 % (8.0 avg. days per rejection) | 22.5 % personal, 76.9 % form, 0.5 % unspecified
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
0.51 % (17.3 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
1 response is pending (83 days waiting). This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 210 days.
The most common submission fee paid: USD $2.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 07 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 29 Jun 2026.
Date compiled: 03 Sep 2026 15:33 UTC (5 hours, 34 minutes ago).

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!

Members accepted here also had work accepted by...

This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today!

Your Submissions

This section is available to subscribers only. Join today!

American Poetry Journal Book Award DNQ  Charges fees for all submissions
American Poetry Journal Chapbooks DNQ  Charges fees for all submissions
APJ Micro E-Chapbook Series  Charges fees for all submissions
Gods & Monsters Anthology CLOSED  Charges fees for all submissions

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 03 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy.