The famous writer Salman Rushdie said that “A poet’s work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep.” This respect and fascination for poetry has spread throughout the world, and the medium’s incredible popularity has only grown.
The history of poetry goes back thousands of years, and the interest in creating and reading great poetry has never been stronger. There are journals and communities and magazines and competitions for creating poetry all over the world.
Here we have listed 100 of the best, most interesting, unique, beautiful, and compelling websites and other sources of new and old poetry online. For the discerning poet who wants to join the vibrant online community of poetry lovers, these are perfect entry points. You’ll also find some famous poem-of-the-day sites on our list!
Poetry Organizations
Many passionate poets and readers have come together to preserve the heritage of poetry and to continue to create more and push the medium forward. There are organizations for poets and verse-lovers of every ilk, and some of the most active are collected here.
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Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation is the publisher of Poetry magazine. Located in Chicago, they discover and publish the best poetry and place it before the largest possible audience. We really love their website!
Get Updates On Twitter: @PoetryFound
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Academy of American Poets
This site shares numerous resources with writers, poets and teachers. They have a poem-a-day feature, materials for teachers, and a function to find nearby poetry readings.
Get Updates On Twitter: @POETSorg
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Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America aims to encourage a deeper appreciation of poetry and to build a larger and more diverse audience for American poetry.
Get Updates On Twitter: @Poetry_Society
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Poets & Writers
Poets & Writers, Inc., is an extensive source of information, support, and guidance for creative writers. Founded in 1970, it is the nation’s largest nonprofit literary organization serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. It’s easily one of our favorite poetry sites.
Get Updates On Twitter: @poetswritersinc
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Duotrope
Duotrope is a subscription-based service for writers that offers an extensive, searchable database of current fiction, poetry, and non-fiction markets, a calendar of upcoming deadlines, submissions trackers, and useful statistics. They are an extremely valuable resource for both new and established writers.
Get Updates On Twitter: @Duotrope
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New Pages
NewPages is the Portal of Independents! News, information and guides to literary magazines, independent publishers, creative writing programs, independent bookstores, alternative periodicals, independent record labels, alternative newsweeklies, poetry websites and more.
Get Updates On Twitter: @newpages
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The Marin Poetry Center
The Marin Poetry Center welcomes new poets, established writers, as well as anyone interested in the art of the spoken word. MPC sponsors regular readings and workshops at Falkirk, many of which are co-sponsored by Poets & Writers.
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Poets House
Poets House offers a 60,000-volume poetry library in New York City. Members receive special benefits and support the ongoing work of the Poets House.
Get Updates On Twitter: @poetshouse
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PennSound
PennSound is an ongoing project, committed to producing new audio recordings and preserving existing audio archives. The project is run by the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Get Updates On Twitter: @PennSound
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Star*Line
The Science Fiction Poetry Association was founded in 1978 to bring together poets and readers interested in science-fiction poetry. They also provide a links page for websites that publish speculative or genre fiction and poetry.
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Dallas Poets Community
The Dallas Poets Community works to create a creative, diverse space for poets. They offer workshops, classes and contests for those poets in the Dallas area.
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The Concord Poetry Center
The Concord Poetry Center is a non-academically affiliated center for poets in the Boston area. They offer a poetry-focused center where people can write, read, listen to, and learn about the art of poetry.
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Haiku Society of America
The Haiku Society of America is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1968 to promote the writing and appreciation of haiku in English. Membership is open to all readers, writers, and students of haiku.
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The Poetry Center of Chicago
The Poetry Center of Chicago is independent not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1974. Their mission is to promote poetry through readings, workshops, and arts education
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100 Thousand Poets for Change
100 Thousand Poets for Change is an organization that uses poetry and cultural creation to promote sustainability, social change, and peace across the U.S. and internationally.
Get Updates On Twitter: @100TPC
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National Federation of State Poetry Societies
The National Federation State Society is an educational and literary non-profit. It is dedicated solely to the furtherance of poetry on the national level.
Poetry Journals
Poetry journals offer a venue for writers to have their work published, read, loved, and criticized by a huge community of readers and writers. Some journals offer both print and online editions while some are restricted to one or the other. All of these are worth a deep read for anyone who wants to explore some of the very best poetry being written now.
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Poetry Flash
Poetry Flash builds community through literature, providing literary writing, access to literary activities, information, and inspiration to writers and the public through publishing and events. There are both online and print editions available.
Get Updates On Twitter: @poetryflash
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Arsenic Lobster Poetry Journal
Founded in 1999, Arsenic Lobster Poetry Journal is entirely & privately funded by Susan Yount. The staff of editors is entirely volunteer-based and we consider it one of the best poetry journals on the web.
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Smartish Pace
Print issues of Smartish Pace contain new poetry and translations of poetry. The website contains book reviews, essays on poetry and interviews with poets.
Get Updates On Twitter: @SmartishPace
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Ploughshares
Ploughshares was founded in 1971 by DeWitt Henry and Peter O’Malley in the Plough and Stars, an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 1989, Ploughshares has been based at Emerson College, which hosts one of the best M.F.A. programs in creative writing in the country. Published in April, August, and December in quality paperback, each issue is guest-edited by a prominent writer who explores personal visions, aesthetics, and literary circles. Inside each issue, you’ll find not only great new stories and poems, but also a profile on the guest editor, book reviews, and miscellaneous notes about Ploughshares, its writers, and the literary world.
Get Updates On Twitter: @pshares
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Poet Lore
Poet Lore has been a broad-minded and passionate conversation about literature since 1889. They published many great poets and playwrights of their era, often presenting them in English to American readers who’d never heard their names. (offline as of 2020?)
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Poetry Superhighway
Rick Lupert has been involved in the Los Angeles poetry community since 1990. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, including The Los Angeles Times, Rattle, Chiron Review, Stirring and more.
Get Updates On Twitter: @PoetrySuperHwy
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Nostrovia!
Nostrovia offers publication opportunities as well as resources for aspiring poets. They sponsor chapbook contests, interviews, and creative writing reviews.
Get Updates On Twitter: @NostroviaPoetry
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Cordite Poetry Review
This journal’s focus is on Australian and International poetics and criticism. They also publish a scholarly review site for academic research. One of the best poetry review websites anywhere!
Get Updates On Twitter: @corditepoetry
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Up the Staircase Quarterly
April Michelle Bratten co-founded Up the Staircase Quarterly in 2008. She became the sole managing editor in 2013. This website is very much worth a visit!
Get Updates On Twitter: @upthestaircase
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Tule Review
Tule Review accepts poetry and cover art submissions on a rolling basis. They maintain close ties with the area’s universities and colleges. (offline as of late January, 2020?)
Get Updates On Twitter: @SacPoetryCenter
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Plume
Plume is a magazine dedicated to publishing the very best of contemporary poetry. They are highly selective and offer twelve poems per monthly issue and the site seems to be updated quite often. Check them out!
Get Updates On Twitter: @PlumePoetry
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Slipstream
Slipstream Magazine is a yearly anthology of some of the best poetry you’ll find today in the American small press. Founded in 1980, Slipstream features the work of both new and established writers.
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Parody
This online journal of poetry focuses on parody and humor writing. They also link to several poetry magazines, all which publish humorous essays, lists and poems.
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Now Culture
Founded at the turn of the century by Ernest Hilbert, Now Culture, an online literary magazine, continues under the watchful gaze of Don Zirilli. Irregular and hopefully surprising, you can keep up with it on their website.
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Aberration Labyrinth
Aberration Labyrinth publishes a short e-digest six times a year. Each issue features 10-20 pieces of poetry.
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The Hollins Critic
The Hollins Critic is published five times a year. They also offer brief reviews of books about and poetry by poets both new and established.
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Iodine Poetry Journal
Iodine Poetry Journal is a semi-annual publication that appears in the Spring and the Fall. They support both international poets and local poets in North Carolina.
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Lexicon Polaroid
Lexicon Polaroid is a literary journal that sews visual art and poetry together. Issues include poems, illustrations and even videos.
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Abramelin
Abramelin has been publishing high-quality poetry since the summer of 2006. They are now publishing monthly poetry and bios of featured poets.
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The Rotary Dial
The Rotary Dial publishes monthly to Kindle, ideally, a mix of Canadian and international poets, both new and established, all writing in form. They accept submissions in meter, rhyme, and other form methods.
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Blast Furnace
Blast Furnace is an independent literary publisher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They publish refined poetry by “poets of place,” with themes deeply rooted in place.
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Chaparral
Chaparral is an online journal featuring poetry exclusively from Southern California. They publish a journal of unpublished poetry each season.
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The Arava Review
The Arava is a space where visual art and poetry co-exist. They work to create cohesion in each issue, much like a gallery show.
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U.S.1 Poets’ Cooperative
U.S. 1 has been around for over 30 years. Their members come from all over America, as well as England, the Philippines, Canada, and Germany.
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Visions-International
Visions International is published by Black Buzzard Press. This non-profit group works for the promotion of poetry and the arts.
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Boxcar Poetry Review
Boxcar Poetry Review is an online poetry journal showcasing the work of new and established poets with new issues appearing quarterly. They are looking for the best poetry out there, be it lyric or narrative, or somewhere in between.
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My Favorite Bullet
My Favorite Bullet is a non-subscription electronic publication seeking free verse poetry. Submissions are accepted year-round.
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The Innisfree Poetry Journal
The Innisfree Poetry Journal welcomes submissions of original, previously unpublished poems year round. They publish well-crafted poems, whether in free verse or in traditional forms, poems grounded in the specific, which speak in fresh language and telling images.
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LEVELER
Poem selections for LEVELER are made on a roughly quarterly basis. Authors can submit a poem along with the “levelheaded” interpretation and breakdown of the poem.
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Carcinogenic Poetry
Every year Carcinogenic Poetry prints an annual anthology, collecting the year’s selection from the website. To be a part of this anthology, all writers have to do is submit their work for publication.
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Redheaded Stepchild
Redheaded Stepchild is a home for rejected poems. Authors whose work has been rejected by magazines and other literary works can submit their writings in to this database and they’ll gladly post them.
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Burnside Review
Burnside Review is a small-press publisher, located in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 2004, the journal is published every 9-12 months. Yearly, they also publish two-full length books of poetry and two chapbooks (one fiction, one poetry) through contests.
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The Cape Rock
The Cape Rock is a poetry journal edited by Susan Swartwout. The journal has been going for over 50 years and is based out of Southeast Missouri State University. Back issues and subscriptions are available at their website. (offline as of January, 2020?)
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Off the Coast
Off the Coast, a quarterly journal by Resolute Bear Press, publishes poetry, artwork and reviews. Arranged much like an anthology, each issue bears a title drawn from a line or phrase from one of its poems. (offline as of January, 2020?)
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Modern Haiku
Modern Haiku Press is pleased to share a cumulative collection of book reviews and featured essays from each issue starting with Modern Haiku 32.2, Summer 2001, through the present issue.
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Assaracus: A Journal of Gay Poetry
Assaracus is the only print journal in the world dedicated to poetry of gay men. Each issue of Assaracus features a substantial portfolio of work by ten-to-twelve emerging or established gay poets.
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Rattle
Rattle is a quarterly print journal featuring a diverse selection of poetry, essays, and interviews with well-known poets. They’ve been accepting submissions year-round since 1995.
Get Updates On Twitter: @RattleMag
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32 Poems
32 Poems welcomes unsolicited poetry year round and accepts simultaneous submissions. As a rule, they publish shorter poems that fit on a single page (about 32 lines). They also believe poets should be paid for their work. Contributors receive $25 per poem and two copies of the issue in which their writing appears.
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491 Magazine
491 Magazine is a twice-yearly print magazine that focuses on new artists. They accept 491 Magazine
is a twice-yearly print magazine who aims to feature new artists. They accept submissions of new and publishing poetry and all forms of visual art.Get Updates On Twitter: @491mag
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Antiphon Poetry Magazine
Antiphon Poetry Magazine is a showcase for the best in British and international poetry.
Get Updates On Twitter: @AntiphonPoetry
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Best New Poets
Best New Poets is an annual anthology of 50 poems from emerging writers. They accept submissions which are vetted by editors and readers to compile a collection of compelling new poems that can be purchased in print.
Get Updates On Twitter: @BestNewPoets
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Free Verse: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry & Poetics
Free Verse is an electronic journal that publishes contemporary free verse and provides a venue for poetic experimentation.
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Exercise Bowler
Exercise bowler is a poetry journal that has been collected and published twice annually since 2010. It features an eclectic mix of styles and content.
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Penny Ante Feud
Penny Ante Feud is a poetry journal that provides unique inspiration for their writers. They publish a single poem per author and encourage each author to write as if these were the last words they were ever able to write.
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The Michigan Poet
The Michigan Poet fosters community and literary culture in in “a state largely known for industry.” They distribute copies of their journal to schools, businesses and other organizations in Michigan to encourage cultural diversity and creativity.
Get Updates On Twitter: @MichiganPoet
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Toad The Journal
Toad The Journal is a quarterly publication with a rotating cast of editors and staff who pull together poetry, visual art, and prose in a wide range of styles.
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Acorn: a Journal of Contemporary Haiku
Acorn is a biannual journal dedicated to publishing the best of contemporary English-language haiku. They focus on showcasing the unique form of the haiku, and how that creates powerful imagery.
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Found Poetry Review
The Found Poetry Review is interested in the creating and publishing of found poetry, like the literary version of a collage. Poets select a source text – from anything to books, magazines, newspapers, product packaging, junk mail and more – and excerpt words and phrases to create a new piece.
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Poetry Quarterly
Poetry Quarterly is published 4 times a year. The website serves as a companion to the print journal.
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Poetry Northwest
Poetry Northwest was founded as a quarterly, poetry-only journal in 1959. They are building their website to include audio, podcast, and video features in the future.
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American Poetry Review
The American Poetry Review publishes interviews, literary essays and essays on social issues, translations, fiction, reviews, and poetry. They work with writers working in new forms of contemporary literature, younger poets, and writers from other cultures.
Poetry Blogs
Some poetry blogs discuss the process and product of famous poets, while others publish new work or discuss the field of poetry and literature in broad scope. A few of our favorites poetry websites are in the list below.
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The Best American Poetry
The Best American Poetry Blog was created in 2008 as a place where we and friends can exchange, discuss, and argue about poems and poetry. Contributions grew to include anything pertaining to the creation of poetry and good writing.
Get Updates On Twitter: @BestAmPo
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The New Verse News
The New Verse News presents politically progressive poetry on current events and topical issues. They also welcome well-written verses of various visions and viewpoints.
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Watermark: A Poet’s Notebook
Watermark is a poetry and art website run by Sharon Brogan. It includes personal poems, photos, and journal entries.
Get Updates On Twitter: @sbpoet
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Poem of the Day
This blog exists to celebrate poetry. The person who maintains the blog has been posting favorite poems and poems of note since 2007.
Get Updates On Twitter: @ninaealvarez
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52 Poetry
The administrator of Fifty Two Poetry is the former director of National Poetry Day in the UK. She is a widely published poet, editor, and broadcaster.
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SPLAB
The SPLAB mission is to promote spoken word performance, develop the audience for poetry, develop resources to support poetry, to do public outreach, and build community through shared experience of the spoken and written word. They value creative development and the voices of the community.
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Read Write Poem
Read Write Poem facilitates a vibrant online community that gives readers the tools they need to make poetry central to their daily lives, both in virtual and real-world environments. The community encourages readers and writers of poetry at all levels to be more engaged with a wide range of traditional and contemporary poetry, with other poets, and with members of their local, regional, national and international communities.
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Silliman’s Blog
This blog is focused on contemporary poetry and poetics. It features articles about famous writers of poetry and trying to write through various situations and for different markets.
Get Updates On Twitter: @ronsilliman
Archives & Collections
Many collections exist to preserve the works of both celebrity poets and lesser known makers who nonetheless brought a unique and compelling voice to the poetic medium.
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The Poetry Archive
The Poetry Archive is a great resource for those who want to write, study, or teach poetry. It works to help make poetry accessible, relevant and enjoyable to a wide audience.
Get Updates On Twitter: @PoetryArchive
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Fishouse
Fishouse is a non-profit that promotes the oral tradition of poetry. They use online technology and other media to provide the public with greater access to the voices of emerging poets.
Get Updates On Twitter: @Fishouse
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Verse Daily
Daily Verse provides a poem a day to its members. They republish from fine literary magazines and books of poetry.
Get Updates On Twitter: @versedailypoems
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The Page
This is a collaboration of poetry, quotes, diaries and stories started in October 2004 at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester.
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The Columbia Granger’s World of Poetry
The Columbia Granger’s World of Poetry contains 250,000 poems in full text and 450,000 citations. They offer an array of international poetry in various languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Yiddish, Welsh, Gaelic, and other Celtic languages.
Get Updates On Twitter: @cupgrangers
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Electronic Poetry Center
The EPC itself has extensive resources available through its E-Poetry and Author libraries. These libraries provide lists of resources on a focused range of authors for personal use, research, and teaching.
Get Updates On Twitter: @EPC_Buffalo
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Poetry Daily
Poetry Daily is an anthology of contemporary poetry. They publish daily poems from new books, magazines, and journals.
Performance & Event Sites
Performance poetry and the live reading of written works has become wildly popular in the past decade, and in any town, city, or hamlet you can find poetry events where writers bring their work off the page with lively readings and enactments.
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Button Poetry
Button produces and distributes poetry media, including videos from local and national events, chapbooks, collaborative audio recordings, scholarship and criticism, and many other products. They also believe in the diversity of writers and the performance aspect of poetry.
Get Updates On Twitter: @buttonpoetry
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Apples and Snakes
Apples and Snakes is the leading organization for performance poetry in England. They were set up in 1982 by a group of poets in order to establish more performance poetry events, and have been inspiring poets for three decades.
Get Updates On Twitter: @applesandsnakes
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Kalamazoo Poetry Festival
The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival celebrates locally written poetry. They work to honor community poets, both established and emerging.
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Urbana Poetry Slam
Urbana Poetry Slam is a New York City-based poetry organization producing readings, lectures, and slams on a weekly basis from September through May. They are committed to maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for all attendees.
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Nuyorican Poets Café
Nuyorican Poets Café is an acclaimed forum for innovative poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre. It has been an esteemed literary gathering place for over forty years.
Get Updates On Twitter: @NuyoricanPoets
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Write Out Loud
Write Out Loud encourages writers of poetry to get involved with spoken word performances. They have a diverse range of participants that includes all ages, backgrounds, styles, and experience.
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Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Program
Dodge Poetry has introduced a generation to some of our most noteworthy contemporary poets. Additionally, The Dodge Poetry Festivals have also given rise to several NPR radio programs and five PBS television series.
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Chicago Slam Works
The Chicago Slam Works’ staff and founding members are pillars of the international poetry slam movement. Their growing organization is the driving force behind dozens of major poetry events all over the world.
Get Updates On Twitter: @chicagoslam
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The Performance Poetry Preservation Project
The Performance Poetry Preservation Project (P4) collects, preserves and provides access to material from the Poetry Slam movement. They work collaboratively with poets, academics, librarians and the slam community. (offline as of January, 2020?)
Get Updates On Twitter: @P4Project
More Sites for Poets
The incredible volume of resources for poets and poetry lovers online cannot be overstated. The internet is the place for people who really want to dive into modern poetry.
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Winning Writers
Winning Writers is an extensive resource for poets and writers. They find and create quality resources and run poetry contests.
Get Updates On Twitter: @winningwriters
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Book That Poet!
BookThatPoet is a list of poets in the Americas that event coordinators can book to give readings and teach workshops. Event planners can search by name or state to find a qualified poet.
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Bibliomancy Oracle
Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. This Oracle selects random passages of literature from its database using a random generator.
Get Updates On Twitter: @BiblioOracle
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For Better for Verse:
Scholar’s Lab is run by the University of Virginia Department of English. One of the resources of their for Better For verse literary journal is a glossary of writing and literary terms.
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The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor
Each day, The Writer’s Almanac features Garrison Keillor recounting the highlights of this day in history and reading a short poem or two.
Get Updates On Twitter: @writersalmanac
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American Life In Poetry
American Life in Poetry, an initiative of Ted Kooser (2004-2006 Poet Laureate), provides newspapers and online publications with a free weekly column featuring contemporary American poems.
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Library of Congress Poet Laureate
Natasha Trethewey is the current United States poet laureate. She is the author of four poetry collections and a book of creative non-fiction.
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Wave Books Erasures Tool
Erasure is a process by which users can take any text and from it, create a poem. When users are finished creating a poem, it can be saved to the archives, printed, or emailed.
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Contemporary American Voices
Contemporary American Voices is a monthly online journal featuring 1-4 poets per issue. They strive to feature some of the best and most compelling poetry being written in America today.
Finally, what do you recommend? We’ve given our list of top poetry sites and now we’d like to hear some of your top resources, whether websites, podcasts or twitter accounts.