Feuilles: March 2026 Newsletter
Poetry contests, open submissions, and the latest from the Traces team...
Dear Traces community,
There’s just one month left to submit to the spring issue of Traces Journal! Read on for our submission guidelines, and for a slew of links to poetry contests, residencies, and open submissions of interest to our readers.
Read to the end to learn about a unique artist residency in a monastery in upstate New York, and how you can apply!
Traces News
Submissions are OPEN!
We’re now open for submissions for our Spring issue, which will be published in May 2026. We’re accepting poetry, book reviews, and interviews (pitches and completed pieces).
We are also open to prose pieces and are especially interested in publishing short essay series on topics related to Canadian and Christian art.
The Order of Love
Do you have a publication, event, or milestone you’d like to share with the Traces community? Submit your news to be featured in a future edition of “Contributor Sightings.”
Community Events & Opportunities
Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest
The New Quarterly’s annual Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest is open again! Deadline EXTENDED to March 9th, 2026!
Inkwell Writers’ Competition: The Agony & Ecstasy of the Artist
Inkwell just announced their first writer’s competition! Click the link for eligibility, guidelines, and more. Submissions close March 31st, 2026.
2026 Annual Sacred Poetry Contest
Submissions are open for this ekphrastic sacred poetry contest. The best part? This year, one of the featured paintings is by Canadian painter Clarence Gagnon! Deadline: March 31, 2026.
Claire Harris Poetry Prize
The Claire Harris Poetry Prize, an initiative of Goose Lane’s icehouse poetry imprint, is now open for submissions for debut poetry collections. The prize aims to enhance the visibility of debut poetry collections by previously unpublished poets from Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities. Deadline is March 31, 2026.
Behold the Man! A Wayfare Poetry Contest
Wayfare magazine announces “Behold the Man!,” its first annual contest for poems about or related to Jesus of Nazareth. Submissions are accepted February 1st through March 29th, 2026 (Palm Sunday).
Orion Arts residency: Open for Applications
Applications are OPEN until midnight, Sunday, April 12th, 2026.
The Understory: A Comment Festival
Save the Date for THE UNDERSTORY, Comment’s inaugural festival to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, from Thursday, May 28 to Saturday, May 30, 2026.
2026 Jane Greer Memorial Poetry Contest
Dappled Things has announced the Jane Greer Memorial Poetry Contest in honour of beloved poet Jane Greer. Submissions are open now until May 31st!
Contributor Feature
Marie Trotter reviews The National Gallery of Canada’s current special exhibition, “Winter Count: Embracing the Cold for The North Facing Window.
Special Highlight: Orion Arts Residency
The Monastery Arts Residency brings artists and writers to live, create, and seek beauty for a week under summer skies at Mount Saviour Monastery near Elmira, NY. If you’re looking for an opportunity to get off the grid and spend some time surrounded by artists, monastic rhythms, and hundreds of sheep, this residency is for you! You can read all about the residency on their website and check out photos from previous summers on their Instagram.
You can also follow Orein Arts on Substack, and check out their founder & director, Nick Maione who is a poet, photographer, iconographer, and more!
