Submit
Submission Guidelines
As long as your work explores some aspect of your culture and heritage, whichever part of the world you're from, we'd love to consider it for publication. For themed submissions, please adhere to the theme given below.
EIC's Interview with New Pages, Duotrope
we nominate for BEST OF THE NET & Best Spiritual Literature prizes
one of Zhagaram's poets won Best of The Net 2026
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Submission Period:
01 March - 31 May 2026
-
Submissions through Google Forms only. Email submissions won't be considered (exceptions: visual/ art submissions)
-
Written work must be primarily in English but are encouraged to contain words and phrases from other languages.
-
Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please make sure you withdraw your work as soon as possible if your work is accepted before we could.
-
Response Time: 1 month
-
Please submit only once per submission period in one category.
-
To give space to new voices, we’re currently prioritizing contributors who haven’t yet been published in Zhagaram before.
-
If your work was not accepted, you're free to submit again in the next submission period.
-
Any form of plagiarism won't be tolerated. We also do not appreciate work that promotes any form of hatred.
-
If you have any doubts regarding submissions, please feel free to email us with the subject: QUERY
What do we inherit? What do we refuse?
For Issue 06: Heirloom, Zhagaram is looking for poems that reckon with inheritance in all its forms. Material and immaterial, mundane and sacred, intimate and national—anything that has been passed from one generation to another.
We want poems speaking of what survives. The spice box in your kitchen cabinet, a lullaby in your mother tongue, old foxing letters from an address you can never return to. Gold as dignity, silk as remembrance and brass as ritual. A word, a phrase, a prayer. Think of the resilience of your ancestors, their grief, their joy.
Let your words become an extension of these heirlooms. Give us a glimpse of your heritage.
Your interpretations of what an heirloom means to you can be as broad or tightly knit as you wish. We are open to poems that experiment with visual forms as well as those rooted in free verse. We value intention and craft above all.
ISSUE 06: HEIRLOOM
POETRY SUBMISSIONS - OPEN
ALWAYS FREE
-
Please read about our mission and the current theme Heirloom before submitting.
-
Submit upto 3 poems in a single document. Each poem should begin in a new page.
-
Document name must be your name as you want it published.
-
If your poems have words from other languages, please include their translations at the end of the page.
-
Provide necessary context and required trigger warnings (asked in the Google Form). Asking for context might be a less common practice especially when blind reading of submissions is promoted as a solution for reducing bias. However, as a literary magazine that publishes work rooted in culture, it's important for us to be aware of the cultural context the poem originates from. It is impossible for a single person (the editor) to be aware of cultural nuances from all around the world and a blatant dismissal of these nuances in pursuit of supposed literary merit is not the solution. Zhagaram promises to treat your poem, and as an extension, your heritage, with care.
-
Expedited submissions and detailed feedback available for a small fee. Submit below for free general submissions
Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@zhagaram.literary) and Twitter (@zhagaramlit) to stay in touch with resources related to the theme. We will be sharing moodboards, visual cues, prompts and playlists!
EXTENSIVE FEEDBACK ON SUBMISSIONS
-
For the given fee range, your submission will be returned with a decision and extensive feedback:
-
All poetry guidelines mentioned above apply.
-
If accepted, no feedback will be provided. In this case, the money will be refunded per accepted poem.
-
Please note that you may not resubmit the same poem if rejected, after feedback considerations.
-
You can pay via Paypal or Google Pay. Please make sure to mention 'Feedback Submission [First Name]'
-
For security purposes, please upload a screenshot of your transaction when you submit.
-
Please use the below submission form ONLY to submit.
-
In case of any confusions, please feel free to contact and clarify: zhagaramliterary@gmail.com
EXPEDITED POETRY SUBMISSIONS
-
For a nominal fee of $2.20 (Rs. 200), your submission will be returned with a decision within 24 hours.
-
All poetry guidelines mentioned above apply.
-
Expedited submissions are subject to the same editorial standards as regular submissions. That is, an expedited submission does not guarantee an acceptance.
-
You can pay via Google Pay. (details in submission form below) Please make sure to mention 'Expedited Submission [First Name]'.
-
If you're having issues with the above modes, you may make direct bank transfers. For such cases, please email us directly.
-
For security purposes, please upload a screenshot of your transaction when you submit.
-
In case of any confusions, please feel free to contact and clarify: zhagaramliterary@gmail.com
-
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
We publish work that has been previously posted on the author's social media or personal blog. However, we request you take it down upon acceptance. Work previously published by other magazines will not be considered.
PUBLISHING RIGHTS
All rights belongs to the concerned contributor. We request for publication rights to print your work digitally and to promote it on social media. You may republish your work elsewhere as long as Zhagaram Literary is credited as the first publisher.
PAYMENT
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to pay our contributors but hope to change that soon. If you would like to help us in awarding more poets, please consider buying one of our issues or spreading word about the magazine and our poems. Learn more here.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE
Zhagaram is currently run by a single editor, and we recognize that this brings certain limitations in perspective. We are actively working to align our editorial decisions more closely with our values and to support work that speaks with integrity and courage.
At the same time, we remain attentive to what we publish, and reserve the right to revisit or remove work that is found to express harmful or problematic views.