For over two decades, Mantis has sought out the best in original poetry and new translations into English. Now more than ever, we aim to push beyond our previous considerations for poetry we consider and accept, and what we ultimately collect into our annual volume of new poetry. We maintain no overarching aesthetic preference, and the spirit of our issues tend to shift with the whims of our ever-changing cast of editors.  

Send us your work that flaunts convention or is deeply rooted in it. Send us pieces that confound us, make us think. Send us your work that doesn’t quite fit anywhere else, that you can’t quite put a finger on, with lines that will get stuck in the back of our minds for an hour (or an eternity). Send us poems in search of a home among kindred spirits and new friends, and the new life that reading brings. 

We delight in the work of poets both young and timeless, whether seasoned veterans of the trade or the freshest or amateurs—when the words move us, we listen, we respond. We are committed to publishing the voices of poets from all different backgrounds and to upholding those voices that have been historically marginalized. 

Mantis is housed in the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages at Stanford University and is run by passionate graduate students from the DLCL, the East Asian Languages and Cultures Department, and the English Department. Each year we publish an annual issue that collects new poetry and poetry newly translated into English, alongside special features and thematic sections. Please take a look at the individual calls for submission for detailed submission guidelines and further information.