May 2023 1st Edition: OPENS March 15 – CLOSES April 15

November 2023 2nd Edition: OPENS September 15 – CLOSES October 15

民句 folk ku journal will be published twice yearly in May and November. As we are a not-for-profit, we cannot pay for accepted submissions but copyright of your work will always belong to you and you are welcome to add your published 民句 folk ku to your CV and/or share on social media and mention it was first published in 民句 folk ku journal.

What is 民句 folk ku? King River Press coined the term 民句 folk ku, or min-ku in Japanese, which literally means verses of the people, to differentiate between verses which are made up from the imagination and 民句 folk ku, which are formed from authentic lived folk experiences.

What’s different about 民句 folk ku journal? It’s the only English language journal that honours Master Masaoka Shiki and showcases true and sincere verses using Shiki’s first principal of haiku 俳句 – shasei 寫生 ‘sketches from life’. If you wish, you can include a short caption/sentence or dedication or short reflection to a loved one to accompany your 民句 folk ku. Our hope is the verses that find their home in our 民句 folk ku journal will not only resonate with other readers, but become a part of your family folk history collection that will be treasured and passed down through the generations.

What We Are Looking For: At King River Press, we believe publishing authentic work is important because it nurtures trust and creates a special bridge between the writer and reader. This means when somebody picks up a print copy or reads 民句 folk ku journal online, they can feel confident what they are reading, and perhaps feeling moved by, is the writer’s real lived experience.

In honour of the honesty and simplicity of Master Shiki’s work and legacy, we are NOT specifically looking for clever or wow-factor verses; we are after special moments that you wish to see published and even ones you feel may be overlooked by other journals. Whilst we love verses that connect folk and nature, we will consider any verses that also allude to this connection. You can see some sample 民句 folk ku with captions here.

What to Send: Verses previously unpublished in an online or print journal (verses shared on a blog or social media are fine) – haiku 俳句, senryu 川柳 and tanka 短歌 in freeform and 5-7-5 + 7-7 in English with mother tongue translations for those who write across language and culture. We accept verses with or without kigo 季語 seasonal words. Each verse can be accompanied with a sentence – a short sentence of description of time, place, event and/or reflection or dedication to a loved one.

Number of Submissions: Please send a minimum of 3 and maximum of 8 民句 folk ku so we can choose the best example of your writing. Arrange your 民句 folk ku in order of which ones are particularly special to you (most to least). As a general rule we will only choose one or two 民句 folk ku from each writer for each journal, but there may be some instances where we feel a need to go a folk ku or two beyond that.

Pubication Month & Format: May and November. 民句 folk ku journal will be available online as a free downloadable PDF. We will also make available to purchase some print copies that will come with a postcard-sized keepsake of your poem if you have submitted one to the journal.

When to Send: For the May edition, please submit between March 15 and April 15. For the November edition, please submit between September 15 and October 15.

Where to Send: Send your best 民句 folk ku to contact@kingriverpress.com with folk ku submission as the subject heading. Type or copy and paste your 民句 folk ku directly into the email. Please include your name or pen name, town/city and country.

Turnaround Time and Editing: We aim to get back to you within a week of your submission, the lastest time will be a week after submissions close. We may suggest small edits to your work if we feel it could benefit.

Any Queries or Questions: If you are unsure of anything or wish to withdraw, change or add to a submission, please do not hestitate to contact us either by email contact@kingriverpress.com or through Twitter https://twitter.com/KingRiverPress1

Copyright King River Press 2023