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confluence is a venue for emerging and innovative Japanese short-form poets to showcase a representative sample of their work and receive readership and recognition. We will feature between 1 to 2 poet Fellows per issue, and publish no fewer than 15 poems per Fellow so that the poet’s distinctive voice can be appreciated. 

The Fellows form a vital, global community of poets who collaborate and engage deeply with one another’s work. Unlike other journals where you submit work, get published, and are done, each confluence Fellow is invited and expected to participate actively in the community during the Fellowship year (October 2026 – July 2027). Upon completing the Fellowship year, poets become Senior Fellows who may choose to remain an integral part of the community, including by participating in collaborative writing events, nominating new Fellows, joining the editorial team, and more.

We are open for submissions through August 31, 2026, and will make final decisions by September 30. Fellows will be featured in monthly, online issues throughout the Fellowship year; we may also publish your work in a future anthology, social media, and other ways. 

Innovation

The journal intends to publish outstanding work that innovates the substance and form of haiku, tanka, or related Japanese short forms. Examples of innovation include:

  • Themes underrepresented in the current literature, including underrepresented places, cultures, traditions, and perspectives
  • Poetry as a vehicle for personal and societal transformation, such as for personal healing, social justice, and understanding the interdependence of all things
  • Use of underrepresented dialects (e.g., African American English, Southern, Gen Z slang)
  • Use of poetic devices in fresh ways
  • Development of new formal techniques (akin to rengay, split sequences, cherita, or blending haiku, tanka, and free-verse poetry)
  • Poetry especially intended to connect with new readers and writers, outside the existing niche of haiku and tanka poets

confluence recognizes that AI is innovating rapidly and reshaping our world, including how the English language is being written and read. At this time, we are not open to submissions generated by AI. confluence celebrates the craft of poetry and its capacity to expand the human spirit. A poem is both the written words, and the lived experiences and hard work that make those words. 

Community

Upon selection, each Fellow is invited to participate in the community during the Fellowship year (October 2026 – July 2027) in the following ways: 

  • Read all of the other Fellows’ work.
  • Write four brief commentaries (200-300 words each) on the work of other Fellows that appreciate, critique, and highlight what you find special about the work.
  • Write two or more collaborative works, including by collaborating with past and present Fellows in composing a renku.
  • Engage with the current Fellows in monthly Fellow meetings to discuss poetry craft, workshop poems, and learn from leading Japanese short-form poets. 
  • Participate in a one-on-one mentorship with an established Japanese short-form poet.
  • Participate in the virtual Fellowship Reading in summer 2027, where you’ll have the opportunity to read your work to a public audience.
  • Contribute to the growth of the community by nominating future Fellows, spreading the word about the publication, and more.  

We generally expect Fellows to take part in these activities, with a time commitment averaging 4 hours per month. Nearly every item depends on someone else showing up: your commentary becomes part of another Fellow’s issue, your verse becomes part of the group’s renku. That said, no one is expected to attend every meeting or hit every deadline perfectly, and we accommodate Fellows whose circumstances change. What matters is sustained presence across the year.

This is a significant commitment; if that’s not for you, that’s ok—there is a wealth of more traditional journals. But we think intentionally cultivating community around our poetry practice is important and joyful, and we want the journal to be a place where that happens in deep and creative ways. We hope you’ll find these opportunities as exciting as we do.  

Emerging Poets

confluence Fellowships are intended for poets in the earlier stages of their poetry journey. You may have published many individual poems or even a first book, but if you have multiple full-length collections by an established publisher, currently serve as editor of a major journal, or are widely recognized as an established voice, you’re likely beyond the scope of the Fellows program. We recognize there are gray areas. If you are unsure whether you qualify, we encourage you to submit—our editorial team will review each application with the spirit of supporting poets who are still building their presence in the literary landscape. For those who are more seasoned and want to engage more with confluence, we encourage you to email the editors at editor@confluencehaiku.com to express your interest.

Submission Guidelines

Your submission must include:

  • A brief cover message explaining why you want to become a Fellow. Please address how your work innovates the substance and form of haiku, tanka, or other Japanese short-form poetry. Please also share your interest in the Fellowship community and, if selected to be a Fellow, your commitment to being an active member.
  • A substantial body of work, between 15-25 pieces of haiku or tanka. You may submit all haiku, all tanka, or a combination of the two (with 15-25 pieces total). You may also optionally submit up to 3 pieces in related forms such as haibun, tanka prose, haiga, tanka art, tan renga, sequences, split sequences, rengay, renku, or cherita.
    • Haiku may include traditional three-line haiku, monoku, duostich, and senryu. Tanka may include traditional five-line waka, tanka, and kyōka. Haiku and tanka may also include any other work that is recognizably haiku or tanka, or derives organically from the traditions of haiku or tanka in English, Japanese, or other languages. These include more experimental work such as gendai haiku, surreal haiku, one-line tanka, etc.
    • You may include work that has been previously published. If so, please include the place of first publication in the special text field for publication credits; do not include the credit next to the poem.
    • You may also include work originally written in a language other than English; in that case, please include both the original and English translation, and credit the translator. You may include work written in collaboration with others, where you have written a significant portion of the work.
    • Arrange your poems in the order in which you would like them to appear in the journal. Please submit your best work. The editors may publish your work as is, or we may edit the selection (subject to final approval by you); in all cases, if selected, we would publish at least 15 of your haiku or tanka in a single issue. See recent issues for how your work may be presented.
  • Submit a short biography (100-200 words, including your website and socials, if any) and a short essay on your philosophy of poetry (300-400 words), focusing on Japanese short forms like haiku or tanka. Your essay may discuss what you think makes a good poem, or what poetry has to offer to the world, or why you write poetry, or any other topic(s) reflecting your poetic philosophy. 
  • Confirm that you have read this entire page and commit to participating in the Fellowship community if selected.
  • You retain the copyright to your work. By submitting, you confer on the journal and the editors a perpetual, non-exclusive license to publish your work on our website and social media and in any other form, such as a possible future anthology. At this time, we are not a paying market.

If you have any questions, please email us at editor@confluencehaiku.com.

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