The Root
System
A literary magazine for poems that make gatekeepers shift in their seats. The visceral, the weird, the unpolished. If your roots break through pavement, we want the shrapnel.
We publish the poems gatekeepers reject
What We Don't Publish
Because clarity matters.
Work that apologizes for itself.
Poems that sand down their edges for the academy.
Anything that whispers when it should roar.
Poetry written to impress gatekeepers.
Voices that have learned to translate their own trauma for comfort.
Against the Grain
We read blind because pedigree is a lie.
We pay because labour is not a hobby.
We publish the rupture because the world has enough whispers.
If your roots break through pavement, we want the shrapnel.
Rejected Elsewhere
Work that gatekeepers missed.
Poems rejected for being 'too specific' — now recognized as essential.
Work deemed 'not universal enough' — the most universal work there is.
Poetry called 'too raw' — the only kind worth publishing.
Voices told they were 'too political' — the most honest voices.
Submissions rejected for 'lacking polish' — they had teeth instead.
Work that 'didn't fit our aesthetic' — it fit ours perfectly.
Forthcoming
Poems will be published here after Issue 01 launches.
Submissions for Issue 01 are open until April 15. Accepted poems will be published here after the issue launches.
Poetry That Crosses Every Border
The Root System Review was founded on the belief that diasporic literature is not peripheral — it is the literature of our time. We publish poetry that grapples with displacement, belonging, language, and the intricate systems of roots that connect us to places we may never fully return to.
We are committed to amplifying voices from every corner of the global diaspora, with particular attention to writers who exist between languages, between nations, between selves.
Learn more about usWhat We Publish
A glimpse into the editorial vision of The Root System Review. These pieces exemplify the raw, rooted work we seek.
The Rope Remembers
NaPoWriMo 2026
30 Days of Raw & Experimental Poetics. Break every rule. Dismantle convention. Write the poem that gatekeepers reject.
Explore All 30 PromptsYour Roots Belong Here
We welcome poetry from writers of the global diaspora. We read every submission with attention and care.
Issue 01 — Submissions close April 15, 2026
Submit Your Work