Poetry Quarter Call for Submissions – Beginnings

for February 2026

Beginnings

Call for submissions

The word “start” means “to begin,” yes, but it also means to startle, to jump, perhaps to be frightened. We all remember that feeling of beginning – beginning a new school or a new school year, a new job, a new city. Throughout our lives we have many beginnings: a new love blossoms, a child is born, retirement begins. Morning, the beginning of a new day, is a kind of reset button on our life, when all things are newly possible. Spring brings renewal in nature and with it, the joy of new life.

But beginnings can be hard – think of a writer sitting before a blank page (or screen).

Poets, send us your poetic thoughts and feelings on the theme of “beginnings.”

Let us begin.

As usual, poems should be:
• Original and unpublished in any medium (no poems submitted elsewhere, please);
• No more than 30 lines each;
• On any aspect of the theme within the bounds of public discourse; and
• Submitted on or before Monday, January 19, 2026.

Poets in the National Capital Region of all ages welcome (school-age poets: please indicate your grade and school). Please send your entries (up to five poems that meet the criteria) to editor@glebereport.ca. Remember to send us your contact information and your grade and school if you are in school.

Deadline: Monday, Jan. 19, 2026