The CDC Poetry Project

Permanently Closed: This project is permanently closed to submissions (April 2018). We provide the following information as an archive.

About

Founded by Sarah Freligh and Amy Lemmon to give voice to the forbidden, The CDC Poetry Project is a curated space for poems written in response to the Trump Administration’s directive to the Centers for Disease Control on December 15, 2017, as reported in the Washington Post, that official documents being prepared for the 2018 budget were not to contain the following words: vulnerable entitlement diversity transgender fetus evidence-based science-based Starting on December 16, Sarah and Amy invited poets to submit poems in any form that included all seven of these words.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2017

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 260 x per year

Collapse section Fiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: No specific word count limits known (our definition: up to 1000 words).

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Electronic submissions.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Prose poetry.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Electronic submissions.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Audio. Image. Text. Video.

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

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The CDC Poetry Project 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.

This listing is inactive and does not have any submission reports for the past 12 months.

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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: 22 May 2026