Gasher is looking for work that surprises us with its language, voice, and authenticity. We are excited by work that is deeply engaged in the nuances of craft, uniquely original in voice, and pushes creative boundaries. We are less interested in what’s currently “fashionable” and/or fits within the predictable mold of what makes poems “publishable.” While we welcome poetry that works in traditional forms, we believe in poetry that makes sense of and achieves its form (or lack thereof) as opposed to the poems’ forms existing for artifice’s sake. Similarly, we appreciate approaches to projects that are driven by a curiosity that leads language into unexpected corridors of thought, as opposed to the project working as a shell for language to play within. We are unamused by cleverness, vulgarity, hate, and/or violence. 

To ensure ethical reading practices, we request that all identifying material be removed from the manuscript, such as the author’s name, email/physical address, etc. An acknowledgments section, located at the end of the manuscript, detailing where poems have been previously published, is okay for most reading periods (excluding prizes) but not required. We ask that you submit a book synopsis and statement of craft interest in lieu of an author’s bio. This update to our submissions screening guidelines aims to protect writers from the pressures to flatten real, lived experiences into a series of codification and/or unconscious biases that may arise on the part of screeners.