About the Archive

INverse celebrates and preserves the diverse range of Indiana poetry for future generations of Indiana writers and readers. It is the result of a collaboration between former Indiana Poet Laureate Adrian Matejka, the Indiana State Library, and the Indiana Arts Commission. Residents of Indiana are encouraged to submit poems to the archive annually between February 1 and April 30.

Check out just a small sample of the Indiana poetry featured in INverse by reading these poems that celebrate spring.

Eligibility Criteria

• The poem’s author must have had residency in Indiana for at least 5 years, either currently or in the past.

• The poem must meet the spirit of the project, which is to archive and preserve poetry from Indiana poets.

• The author must be able and willing to agree to the INverse rights agreement.

• The poem cannot have excessive profanity.

• The poem cannot be or include any erotica or pornographic imagery.

• The poem cannot include hate speech.

• The poem’s author can either be living or deceased.

• An author cannot have more than 10 poems in the archive total.

• After acceptance of a poem to the Indiana Poetry Archive, an author may submit another 1-3 poems after a period of 3 years.

• A person may submit poems on behalf of another eligible poet if that person is able to ensure they have the authority to agree to the INverse rights agreement.

• Non-English poems are eligible for consideration as long as they are accompanied by an English translation.

Eligibility Review Process

• The Eligibility Review Committee is a panel of three people who meet annually to review submitted poems using the eligibility criteria.

• The panel is comprised of one representative of the Indiana State Library staff, one representative of the Indiana Arts Commission staff, the current Indiana Poet Laureate, and INverse Founder Adrian Matejka.

• The review panel has sole discretion over eligibility and all decisions made by the panel are final. There is no appeals process.

Annual Timeline

• Submission Period - February 1 - April 30

• Committee Review - May

• Notification on Acceptance into the Archive - June

• Accepted Poems Available Online in the Archive - August

Resources

• Sample Submission Form

• Guidelines

• Access the Archive

Contact

Stephanie Haines
Arts Education and Accessibility Manager
Indiana Arts Commission

shaines@iac.in.gov

(317) 450-9973