Word is Out! is a free independent zine, run by and for LGBTQ+ poets in the Channel Islands. Supported by Liberate, the first issue was published in accordance with Channel Islands Pride 2024, with plans to continue the project biennially.

Rowan Carteret founded Word is Out! after several months immersed in Guernsey’s poetry scene as a platform for local Channel Islands writers. Submissions in 2024 were open to poets across the Bailiwick and in Jersey throughout the month of June before being reviewed by a panel of local writers. The ethos of Word is Out! is an inclusive one; we are open to poets of all styles and skill-levels with the hope to provide a chance for print publication for anyone who wishes to submit.

Although our cause is to promote and publish poetry with queer and LGBTQ+ themes, the nature of our community means that there is no requirement that writers must LGBTQ+ to enter, and that we are happy to support and advise entrants who wish to remain anonymous.