Poetry Submissions For “The Friendship Book”


poetry submissions

Here at the “Friend”, we’re open to poetry submissions all year round.

But, in particular, we’re always looking for poetry to suit our three yearly publications: “The People’s Friend” Annual, The Fireside Book, and The Friendship Book.

Poems for our Annual tend to be quite lighthearted and fun.

Fireside Book poems are a mix of lengths and topics, often based on the seasons.

And The Friendship Book’s poems are often faith-based, with encouraging messages of hope and cheer.

The Friendship Book template

As it’s in a calendar style, with a poem or thought for each day, Friendship Book poems also follow a template.

Occasionally, extra verses can be added, but as a rule The Friendship Book poems follow this pattern:


Intro Poem – 12 lines

January

3rd – 12 lines

21st – 12 lines

27th – 16 lines

February

4th – 12 lines

14th – 10 lines

25th – 12 lines

March

3rd – 6 lines

12th – 16 lines

17th – 16 lines

April

5th – 8 lines

20th – 12 lines

May

1st – 8 lines

10th – 16 lines

22nd – 10 lines

26th – 14 lines

June

2nd – 14 lines

23rd – 10 lines

28th – 8 lines

July

20th – 12 lines

August

18th – 16 lines

22nd – 8 lines

September

6th – 12 lines

30th – 16 lines

October

2nd – 16 lines

14th – 10 lines

November

15th – 10 lines

25th – 8 lines

December

8th – 12 lines

30th – 20 lines


If you haven’t submitted to The Friendship Book before, perhaps the template can be a good starting point.

The best way to get a feeling for the type of poetry that’s suitable for each little book is to read each one carefully.

Keep our reader in mind. Think about the topics she might be interested in — like family, friends, faith, and nature — and the tone she’d like. Perhaps a mixture of thoughtful, funny, wistful.

Take a look at our poetry submission guidelines for some help.

We’ll be looking for poems for our 2022 annuals soon!

For more on poetry in the “Friend”, click the tag below.

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Lucy Crichton

Fiction Editor Lucy is always on the look-out for the very best short stories, poems and pocket novels. As well as sourcing enjoyable content, she enjoys working with our established contributors, encouraging new talent, and celebrating 155 years of 'Friend' fiction!