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.
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 usYour 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