So you’ve written a poem you love and you’ve rewritten it so that it’s vivid and powerful. Maybe you’re ready to shout it from the rooftops for everyone to hear, or maybe you just want one or two people to see what you’ve written. Read on for plenty of ways, both big and little, to share your poetry with the world!

If you've been following along in our series on writing poetry, then you've learned how to write a poem and how to revise your poetry. Now, it's time to move on to the third and equally important stage: sharing your poems!

Ways to Share Your Poetry

• During your Poetry Teatime: This is the best possible place to share your poetry! Gather the family together and listen up while each person shares their poetry. Be sure to clap (or snap!) enthusiastically!

• As a gift: Giving a poem as a gift is a really meaningful present. No one else could possibly have made it. To give your poem as a gift, try typing it up with a fancy font and printing it out on nice paper, or writing it out in cursive or nice handwriting on fancy paper to make your poem look special!

• Make your own book: If you’re not sure whether you want to share your poems with the whole world but you know you want some people to see them, why not collect them into a book that you’ve made yourself! To make a book, you’ll need paper, a thick needle, and thread. Check out this tutorial from Bounce Back Parenting to learn how to make your own book. Then, just write or print out and paste your poems into the book. You can also paste your poems into a scrapbook so they’re all in one place.

• At a poetry slam: Gather the neighborhood together! Call all your friends! A poetry slam can be an exciting way to challenge yourself to share your poem to others. Check out this post from Poetry Teatime on how to throw a poetry slam, or check out poetry slams in your area you can attend!

Places to Publish Your Poetry

• Magazines & Other Publications

  • Stone Soup: Encourages short and powerful pieces of writing. Ages 13 and younger.

  • Ember Journal: Looking for elements of story in poetry and the “wow” factor. Pays well. Ages 10-18.

  • Teen Ink: Submit art, writing, or even videos. Ages 13-19. Also check out their contests here.

  • Writing Zone Magazine: Looking for inspirational poetry about overcoming challenges. Ages 7-12.

  • Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal: Encourages uplifting and positive poetry from kids and families alike.
    

• Contests

  • New Pages: List of poetry contests for children or teens, updated regularly, sorted by month. The contests are screened to make sure they’re legitimate, too. Never run out of contests here!

  • Imagination Soup: Another good list of contests to apply to.

  • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Prestigious contest for students in 7th-12th grade. Some of the most famous US poets and writers, including Sylvia Plath and Truman Capote, have entered. Submissions for 2019 open in September.

  • Write the World A writing community for teen writers that hosts monthly writing contests for members. Ages 13-18.

  • KidsPost Poetry Contest Sponsored by the Washington Post. Publishes poems during National Poetry Month every April, with a deadline for submissions in mid-March.

That should be enough to get you started! Keep writing poems, and don’t forget to share them with the world!