14 by 14: Submissions

We aim to publish good, new 14-line poems in modern English that are recognisably (to us) sonnets. A submitted sonnet must not have been published elsewhere, in print or online. See the more detailed guideline on previous publication in the main text on the right.

How are we defining a sonnet?

As a 14-line poem that the selection panel choose to regard as a sonnet.

There are several features often considered characteristic of sonnets. The fourteen-line poem might be in a form (meter and probably rhyme) reminiscent of traditional sonnets; it might be cast as an argument or meditation with a “turn” or volta somewhere in the later lines, typically around Line 9. While no specific characteristic is an inflexible requirement, a submission that does not have a sonnet “feel” to it probably won’t be selected.

The sonnet essay by Anna Evans, here, is worth a look. Also see the essays with the two invitational sonnets in this issue.

Selection process

Please note the limit of two sonnets per submitter.

Selection now involves, per sonnet, all six readers from our panel, and is “blind” for all of the readers. (Submissions are forwarded without names or other identifying details.)

Like Issue 5, Issue 6 may include at least two “invitational” sonnets.

Next deadline: September 28, 2008

14 by 14 is published every second month, on the 14th of the month. Submissions are open for about six weeks until the 28th of the month before publication. Since each issue will have a different broad theme, it will usually not be possible to carry submissions forward to the next one.

Issue 6 will go online on October 14, 2008, and submissions are now open until September 28. The theme for Issue 6 is Things speak for themselves: we’re looking for sonnets relating to physical objects — natural or man-made — seen objectively from any angle, literal/realistic, metaphorical, or whatever.

We want new, not recycled, material. A submitted sonnet should never have been published in print or online. That includes personal websites and blogs — see the amplification below. And it should not be under consideration elsewhere: our short timescales simply can’t accommodate the potential complications of simultaneous submission.

What counts as “published”?

Of course, if it has appeared in a print publication it is published.As far as online publication goes, we do consider something published if, before or during our issue currency, substantially the same work appears (or has appeared) on a publicly accessible website — and that includes personal sites and blogs as well as ezines. Therefore, do not submit it to 14 by 14 if it is, or has been, or is about to be, displayed on your site or someone else’s.

Workshop boards/forums: We do not consider a sonnet published if it has appeared temporarily on a forum or workshop site (such as Eratosphere) where the work is not archived. We do consider it published if it is stored or archived indefinitely on the workshop site. You may submit a sonnet that has been workshopped at Sonnet Central, so long as you agree that, if it is accepted, you will either remove it from SC or have it placed in the non-public archive area. If you don’t accept this condition, don’t submit a sonnet workshopped at Sonnet Central.

We have an online submission form and strongly encourage you to use it. The other option is to send your one or two sonnets in the body of a formatted or plain-text email message (no attachments, please) to

What are some common faults in submitted sonnets?

There are certain mistakes and weaknesses that we see again and again in submissions. One is a too-derivative, unnatural style and tone. Archaic language will kill a sonnet’s chances, unless it’s handled knowingly, to ironic or humorous effect. Tired tropes and metaphors extended (inflated) to bursting point will also tend to push judges’ NO buttons, as will piling on the adjectives or other modifiers, especially where these seem to have no function but to pad out the meter. Of course all metrical poets have to shape their language to the meter, which sometimes means adding words to fill out a line; but the trick is to do it in such a way that the extra words enrich the poem rather than make it flabby. You can’t afford to waste syllables in a sonnet. Everything should contribute in some way.

For more along these lines, read what Julie Kane and Paul Stevens say in their short essays in Issue 5 — and what other panel members have said in the previous invitationals.

The following are the members of the selection panel for Issue 6. If you would like to know more about the 14 by 14 team, please see the Acknowledgements and Links page.

Selection panel: David Anthony, Robert Crawford (2006 Nemerov winner), Anna Evans, Rhina P. Espaillat (twice Nemerov winner), Julie Kane (Open Sonnet Competion winner), and Paul Stevens.