Updated November 2023

If you’re a poet who enjoys writing rhyming poetry, you’re sure to have heard the standard publishing industry credo: No one is publishing rhyming poetry these days. Trying to find a literary journal that will accept and publish rhyming poetry can be like finding a needle in a haystack! And while it’s true that the current trend in literary magazines shows a preference for free verse poetry, don’t give up just yet on ever finding a home for your rhyming verse. The research experts here at Writer’s Relief can never resist a challenge, so we’ve scoured through our resources and discovered twenty literary magazines that DO publish rhyming poetry!

20 Literary Journals Where You Can Submit Rhyming Poetry in 2023

Able Muse focuses on metrical and formal poetry. This journal requests…“well-crafted poems of any length or subject that employ skillful and imaginative use of meter and rhyme, executed in a contemporary idiom that reads as naturally as your free verse poems.” The Raintown Review prefers to receive formal/metrical poetry, but that interpretation ranges from traditional to experimental. Rat’s Ass Review, where the founding editor, David M. Harris, states: “Send me your best poetry. I don’t particularly care whether it’s formal or informal, metrical or free verse, rhyming or not.” Rattle publishes an eclectic mix of both free verse and traditional poetry. Sliptongue publishes traditional forms of poetry only, with an erotic subject matter. WestWard Quarterly is looking for rhyming poetry with consistency and natural word order in the rhyme scheme. Whistling Shade states that the work they accept includes “poetry of any form, including lyric verse that employs rhyme and meter, and there is no word limit.” Ancient Paths is a predominantly Christian publication that accepts both rhyming and free verse poetry. The Asses of Parnassus accepts “short, witty, formal poems.” Better Than Starbucks has an entire section dedicated solely to rhyming poetry! The Chained Muse is an online publication that promotes 21st-century classical poetry. Light Poetry Magazine has this fun note on its submissions page:

“We’re open to work from the left or the right, to formal or free verse, refined or with bite, to thought that’s like ours or that’s different by half: we just want good stuff that’ll make people laugh.”

The Orchards Poetry Journal encourages rhymed verse in traditional forms, but also accept free verse. Sparks of Calliope accepts both free verse and traditional poetry. Mezzo Cammin accepts structured form poems by women poets, as well as poems that experiment with form. Tahoma Literary Review looks for a balance between different poetic forms and styles, accepting a mix of free verse and formal poetry. The Eclectic Muse believes in spearheading a revival of traditional poetry and features several rhyming poems to demonstrate the kind of poetry they accept. The Lyric Magazine was founded in 1921, making it the oldest magazine in North America devoted to the publication of traditional poetry. Rhyme Zone focuses on rhyming poetry, and they also accept previously published work! Unsplendid is a triquarterly online literary magazine and accepts several different forms of poetry, including sonnets, villanelles, sestinas, and more. Now that you’ve found twenty needles in the proverbial literary journal haystack, be sure to submit your rhyming poetry! If you also write free verse poetry or short stories—or have written a novel or memoir—Writer’s Relief can help you find the best markets for those genres. Our research experts can help you target the best markets and boost your odds of getting published. Submit your free verse poetry, short story, or book to our Review Board today!

Whether you want to take the traditional publishing route or prefer to self-publish, we can help. Give us a call, and we will point you in the right direction!

Question: Do you prefer free verse or traditional rhyming poetry?