What I Am Looking For

I aim to publish the best poetry in Allegro and so I have no preference for any particular form of poetry. However some poems "fit" the magazine better than others. Here are a few guidelines about what I look for in a poem:

Poems that evoke place or time

Strong characterisation if people are a central focus of the poem

Striking images

Language that is used well - not received phrases but anything too unusual has to convince me that it is exactly right and no other word would do the same job.

Well crafted formal poetry - I see too little of this and would welcome more

Poems that use rhyme and half-rhyme skilfully - again little seen please submit more