Poems and Devotionals that Speak to the Soul
Submission Guidelines
Flowers of the Field is open to writers of many faiths, but we especially welcome poems and devotionals from a Christian perspective. We lean toward works where communication is clear rather than obscure. As a good friend recently said, we prefer to see into the car rather than strain to see the occupants through dark-tinted windows. Cleverness through obfuscation seems less than clever. Please read our About page to gain insight into our purpose and mission.
1. Submit up to three poems and/or one devotional, each as a separate document in a separate email. The submissions' email is cswanson@flowers-of-the-field.com.
2. Each submission must be pasted into the body of the email. We do not accept attachments. Include in the subject line of the email the title of the work and the form of the poem, if the submission is a poem.
3. We do not impose a line length on poems, but we do restrict devotionals to 300 words or less.
4. Submissions must show awareness of the stated theme for each submission call.
5. Please do not submit a bio. We will ask for biographical information if we accept your work.
6. We do not accept simultaneous submissions, nor do we accept reprints. If we choose to feature work already published, such work will be solicited by the editors. Published work includes work that has appeared in any form of electronic media, such as Facebook or a personal blog. It also includes any work that has appeared in print.
7. We do not limit how often a writer’s work may appear in our journal.
8. Flowers of the Field assumes First Electronic/Online Rights, including the right to archive, reprint, or include in an anthology. All other rights remain with the author.
9. Should your work appear in our pages, please credit Flowers of the Field in future publications.
10. We reject manuscripts that do not follow our guidelines. Please be careful and thorough.
11. There is no charge to submit. We also do not offer pay.
Originality:
Any work submitted to Flowers of the Field must be the creation of the author. We do not accept work that has been created, in whole or in part, through the help of Artificial Intelligence. Plagiarized or previously published (or curated) work will fail to qualify. Should we discover after we have accepted a submission, that the work fails to meet these standards, we will pull the work from the journal.
Archived Themes for 2026
Old Guidelines/Suggestions for the Spring Tension Issue
First things first: The window for the spring theme of tension opens on February 1 and closes February 15 at midnight. Please note that we will not read poems or devotionals sent before or after that window unless we give you specific permission to send a piece early or late. Read the guidelines carefully and follow them. Keep in mind that we do not accept attachments.
Now about tension: I recall several fine writers who spoke of tension within the work itself. One writer said she wanted to create additional interest within the body of her poem. She felt she had a good handle on beginnings and endings, but she didn’t want the poem to weaken or fade in the middle lines. One way to strengthen a poem in the middle section is to add tension—that is, elements that push and pull against each other. Another way of thinking of this is conflict, although the conflict may be something other than two characters who are in confrontation with each other. What can be said about a poem, in this case, also can be said about a thoughtful devotional.
The possibilities with such a theme as tension are great, especially if you think of tension within the work. However, we will be looking for poems or devotionals that in some obvious way bring tension to the fore. What are internal conflicts that cause tension (or tenseness)? What are diametrically opposed ideas in society that create an atmosphere of tension? (And here, I would beg for caution, for an overtly political poem or devotional often becomes a rant, and not a strong rant at that.) What are conflicts in nature, the push and pull of elements against each other? What are tensions in family settings, whether somewhat natural or unexpected? What are the difficulties in balancing a view of earth against a view of heaven. Surely, there is tension in the flesh versus the spirit.
Here are a few teases: When I crochet, the tension I keep on the yarn affects the regularity of the weave. On a chainsaw, the chain cannot be too loose, or it will fly off the bar, or too tight, or the chain will not rotate. Proper tension affects the outcome. Tense muscles might benefit from a massage. In a funeral message, a preacher may admit to earthly foibles of the deceased while proclaiming hope of the afterlife.
We look forward to how you will surprise us. Writers see the world in unexpected ways, and we love for you to create tension within us, the tension of expectancy! CAS
Old Clerk's Office, Callands, VA, photograph by Gail Swanson