May 2026

Open Submissions until August 17! 5 Writing Prompts, Plant of the Month, Cool cyber-spaces to explore, What’s New at Plants & Poetry?

May 2026

What to expect from this newsletter:

• 5 Writing Prompts

• Editors: What are you reading and listening to?

• Plant of the Month - Marigold

• Nature, Art, & Lit News - and cool cyber-spaces to explore

• Open Submissions

• What’s New at Plants & Poetry?

5 Writing Prompts

1. Write a poem inspired by your last two notes on your phone.

2. Write in prose about the last overheard conversation you heard.

3. Write a letter to your ex-partner or friend in satire.

4. Take a photo of your POV right now and write a poem about it over the image.

5. Write a prompt for next month and comment below or tag us on Substack.

   

Editors: What are you reading and listening to?

Erica: Currently reading Blue Period vol. 2 by Tsubasa Yamaguchi and listening to Lovebomb by The Neighbourhoods

Meghan: Until June <3

Jamie: Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney and The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson. Listening to Bulls On Parade by Rage Against the Machine and Illuminate by Jessie Reyez and Elyanna (ready for the World Cup !!)

Plant of the Month: Marigold

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens

PLANT CARE

• Light: Full sun (6-8 hours minimum)

• Soil: Well-draining

• Water: Water at the base regularly

• Seeds: Sow directly outdoors after the last frost

In Arkansas? Check out this Planting Calendar by Westwood Gardens. They offer weekly advice like this week, May 16-18: Perennials and Flowering Shrubs
Check perennials for regrowth (some emerge later) and replace any that didn’t thrive, adjusting for light needs. Prune spring-flowering shrubs right after blooming to protect next year’s buds.

If you’re not local, check out a university extension office near you for a calendar.

Nature, Art, and Lit News

And cool cyber-spaces to explore

• 4theWords - a gamified writing platform that turns productivity into a fantasy role-playing game (RPG).

• Old Book Illustrations - Old Book Illustrations offers a wide range of public domain, royalty-free restored images scanned from old books.

• Digibouquet - Build a beautiful digital flower bouquet and send it to someone you love.

• openwhenletters.app - Create and send beautiful, interactive digital ‘Open When’ letter collections to your loved ones.

• Post crossing - A project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world.

Open Submissions

Theme: Almost: an anthology of drafts and works in progress

ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY. This anthology invites writers to submit unfinished, unpolished, or in-progress work. We are not seeking final drafts. Editors will engage directly with selected pieces, offering margin notes, feedback, questions, and praise. These comments will appear alongside the work in the final publication.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We accept unpublished poetry and prose, including but not limited to:

• Poems (any style or form)

• Hybrid or experimental forms

• Letters or notes

• Maximum of 3 pages per submission. You may submit up to 2 pieces, as long as the total does not exceed 3 pages

• Submit as a .doc, .docx, or png

• Use a readable font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.)

• Please save file in format: Title_First Name_ Last Name_ Almost

• Does not have to be Plant-Centric

EDITORIAL PROCESS

If your work is selected:

• Editors will respond directly on the piece

• Feedback may include line edits, reflections, questions, and/or praise

• You will have the opportunity to review before final publication

Submissions Open: May 17th - August 17

Publication Date: November 2026

Please note that we will only be reviewing the first 75 submissions received. Once we reach that limit, submissions will be closed.

What’s new at Plants & Poetry?

1. We’ve discontinued our seed-planting initiative tied to submissions (for now).

2. This change comes alongside another shift we’ve already implemented: we no longer charge submission fees.

3. We are currently developing a new imprint that will expand our focus beyond plant-centered themes, opening space for a wider range of stories, voices, and experiences.

4. At the same time, we are preparing to sunset our free online journals. Print and digital copies will still be available.

Plants & Poetry Store

Rituals & Remedies Vol. 2 » Rituals & Remedies is a collection of art, poetry, and prose that demonstrates how small, day-to-day things, such as gathering for a meal; drinking coffee as the sun rises; praying at night; or going for a walk, hold together so much of our lives.

Garden & Work Gloves » Our Garden & Work Gloves are made from cowhide with reinforced palms and fingertips to add extra protection where you need it most.

Heirloom Notebook » The Heirloom Notebook is a space to hold the heart of your given or found family. It is a quilt of memories.

Plant People Vol. 5 » Plant People, An Anthology of Environmental Artists Vol. 5 is a tender gathering of poetry, prose, art, and non-fiction honoring our plant relatives.

Notebooks » 100 lined pages. Cover page designed by Erica Dionora

Matchbooks » Set of 5 matchbooks. Design & haiku by Erica Dionora. Matchbook includes a haiku poem and plant care instructions for the Iris plant.

Thank you for staying until the end! We’ll see y’all on substack. :)

Did you know Plants & Poetry gets a percentage from Libro.fm sales? https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm168573

Plants & Poetry is an independent literary arts publishing house based in Northwest Arkansas. Plants & Poetry operates on the historic lands of the Osage, Caddo, and Quapaw people, members of the Osage Nation, Caddo Nation, and Quapaw Nation in Northwest Arkansas. Visit www.plantsandpoetry.org

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