• About
  • Get Involved
  • Honor Roll
  • Bookshop
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

Illuminating poetry since 1959

Menu
Search
  • Explore
    • Masthead
    • Submit
    • James Welch Prize
    • Anti-Racism Annual Report
    • Contact
  • Poems
  • Commentary
    • Features
    • Essays
    • Book Reviews
    • Interviews
    • The Subvocal Zoo Podcast
    • Seconds Podcast
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • New Series Archive
    • First Series Archive
  • Editions
    • Catalog
    • Possession Sound
    • Seattle YPL
Close Menu

Lines / from the current issue

in that place that burned / heartspace a forest once // then a meadow // we wanted light not / just warmth

GREG WRENN | Ode without Coordinates

Recent Features

June 9, 2021

SHRIRAM SIVARAMAKRISHNAN: Five Anti-Poems

"The poems are 'anti' the way antique pieces are, which is to say, if these poems undermine meaning-making, it...

by Staff
June 7, 2021

Life List

A series of poems by BIPOC poets that engage with birds, curated by Sean Hill.

by Staff
June 2, 2021

The Reaching That Makes of Falling Flight

A review of Be Holding by Ross Gay

by Gabi Graceffo
June 2, 2021

I Am Ready To Be Every Animal You Leave Behind

"Vuong shows the world for the truth of all its sharp and beautiful teeth." —a visual essay Tessa Hulls

by Staff

poem of the week

JENNIFER CHANG
Two Poems

Published by Staff

years rioting
against the fallacies of form

June 8, 2021
Poems

MICHAEL KLEBER-DIGGS
Source of My Confidence

Published by Staff

Spring air races through rooms:
a joyous child.

June 8, 2021
Poems

makalani bandele
from vandals of knock city

Published by Staff

line 'em up, count time. night cuffed the dying light.

June 2, 2021
Poems

KATIE CONDON
Called Back

Published by Staff

At dusk, the snow is determined as ever.

May 31, 2021
Poems

CHRISTOPHER DEWEESE
Poem for Lichen

Published by Staff

I quiver among the weeds.

May 28, 2021
Poems

ANGIE SIJUN LOU
Happiness, I, Thou, You, Me.

Published by Staff

Summer, at once, a field of violated water, or:
the violet energy of bruises.

May 20, 2021
Poems

Cinema Poetry NW

Features

Features

Visual Poetry

Poets explore the intersection of word and image.

June 9, 2021
Features, Recent

Life List

A series of poems by BIPOC poets that engage with birds, curated by Sean Hill.

June 7, 2021
Features

SAL Essay Series

Writers preview the Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series

June 4, 2021
Features

One More Thing

Conversations with contributors and other writers curated by Helene Achanzar

May 19, 2021
Features

On Failure

In which writers investigate the practice of failure.

April 8, 2021
Features, Recent

Wago Ryoichi’s Poetics of Catastrophe

translated and introduced by Ayako Takahashi and Judy Halebsky

March 10, 2021
Features

Native Poets Torchlight Series

In which Guest Editor Jennifer Elise Foerster celebrates contemporary Native American poets.

February 15, 2021
blue blur color dark
Features

The Subvocal Zoo

A podcast featuring readings by and conversations with writers & poets.

November 15, 2020
Features, Recent

DAO STROM
an excerpt from Instrument

[Wading into a new decade (ten miles of jungle, twenty+ river crossings, one night in a cave, chimes at the altar of the Highway of Horror, then lunch by...

October 26, 2020

book reviews

June 2, 2021

The Reaching That Makes of Falling Flight

A review of Be Holding by Ross Gay

by Gabi Graceffo
April 28, 2021

The Crux of Its Divining

A Review of Regan Good

by Staff
April 21, 2021

Work to Be Done

A Review of Susan Briante

by Gabi Graceffo
March 24, 2021

While We Can Sing

A Review of Jean Vengua’s Marcelina

by Gabi Graceffo

Essays

I Am Ready To Be Every Animal You Leave Behind

Published by Staff

"Vuong shows the world for the truth of all its sharp and beautiful teeth." —a visual essay Tessa Hulls

June 2, 2021
Essays, Recent

A THOUSAND IMAGINATIONS: What the Books of Alberto Ríos Say to Each Other

Published by Staff

"Perhaps conversations among Ríos’ works are most evident in the ones about the border, where the elbow taps of solidarity acknowledge the tenuous ground upon which an idea that...

May 24, 2021
Essays, Recent

commentary

Sweetest Things Turned Sourest

Published by Gabi Graceffo

"I developed a theory about myself: that I could only appreciate the sweet if it caused me a little hurt."—an essay by Jehanne Dubrow

June 11, 2021
Commentary

Field Note: City Birds

Published by Staff

"When I thought the birds singing outside my window were just birds, I was taking for granted my proximity to otherness."—an essay by Jennifer Chang

June 8, 2021
Commentary

Current Issue

Current Issue

Winter & Spring 2021

Alfredo Aguilar, Carrie Fountain, Luther Hughes, W. Todd Kaneko, Ada Limón, Nathan McClain, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Tiana Nobile, Shara Lessley, Robin Meyers, & more

December 15, 2020

New from Poetry NW Editions

THEOREM <br>Elizabeth Bradfield & Antonia Contro
THEOREM
Elizabeth Bradfield & Antonia Contro
THE LACHRYMOSE REPORT <BR>Sierra Nelson
THE LACHRYMOSE REPORT
Sierra Nelson
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A THOUSAND GRIEFS <BR>Wei-Wei Lee
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A THOUSAND GRIEFS
Wei-Wei Lee

News

April 15, 2021

Possession Sound Reading Series: Open for Submissions

Poetry NW Editions is accepting submissions to their Possession Sound Reading Series through May 31.

by Staff

Twitter

Shriram Sivaramakrishnan
Poetry Northwest Retweeted · Shriram Sivaramakrishnan @shriiram
4 days ago
So my 'miminickingmimicingmiminimizing' series is out. Thanks @poetrynw @bill_carty

https://t.co/zAOPCuivJj
View on Twitter
4
0
Angela Narciso Torres
Poetry Northwest Retweeted · Angela Narciso Torres @angela_n_torres
1 week ago
Oh my stars! Delighted to find my photo of an embroidery piece I stitched on @poetrynw’s newsletter about their upcoming issue, in which my essay on sewing and poetry, “How to Stitch Words into Worlds,” will appear this summer. Stay tuned! https://t.co/tBudZrTLq9 https://t.co/Q9v0FeaAq2
View on Twitter
poetrynw photo
1
0
Sherwin Bitsui
Poetry Northwest Retweeted · Sherwin Bitsui @SherwinBitsui
1 week ago
Congratulations to the winning poets Kenzie Allen @cerena & Brendan Basham @papayathief Congratulations to the finalist as well. Such incredible poems. My gratitude to the organizers for asking me to judge the first ever James Welch Prize. Ahéhée’ 🦅 @poetrynw #poetry https://t.co/oSxUu8GvEc
View on Twitter
7
0
Poetry Northwest
In reply to
2 weeks ago
Congratulations, too, to our outstanding finalists:⁠
Melanie Merle⁠ ⁠
Josie Valdez⁠
Rachel Johnson⁠
Annie Wenstrup⁠ ⁠
Shelbi Fitzpatrick⁠
Abigail Chabitnoy⁠
Kalehua Kim⁠ ⁠
Michael Wasson

4/4
View on Twitter
0
14

Recommended Events

Loading...

Instagram

Life List, a new series of poems engaging with bir Life List, a new series of poems engaging with birds written by BIPOC poets, is curated by Senior Editor Sean Hill @seanhill73. Each poet has also written an accompanying Field Note. Hill, a Black poet, writes of the series, “As a writer of color, the presence of nature, particularly birds, in my work is questioned by some readers. Given the times we’re living through and the struggles we’re having being seen, I wanted to create an aerie from which these kinds of poems could fly out into the world.” The first two additions to the Life List series are from Michael Kleber-Diggs @mkdordiggsy and Jennifer Chang. Check out these bird poems and their accompanying field notes using the link in our bio! 🐦 🦃 🦉 🦅 Cover image: “islands,” by James Everett Stanley @jamesestanley _________________________________________ #lifelist #poetrynorthwest #poetry #litmag #pnwpoets #birdpoems #bipocpoets
Here is a sneak peak at "I Am Ready To Be Every An Here is a sneak peak at "I Am Ready To Be Every Animal You Leave Behind," a visual essay on Ocean Vuong @ocean_vuong by Tessa Hulls @tessahulls. Read and view the entire visual essay using the link in our bio. ⁠ ⁠ Join our friends at Seattle Arts & Lectures @seattleartsandlectures for an online event with Ocean Vuong on Wed, June 9 @ 6:00 PM (PDT). Get tickets on the SAL website. ⁠ ⁠ Ocean Vuong is a poet and fiction writer whose work considers class, queerness, family, and identity. His epistolary novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (2019), was an immediate and enduring bestseller described by the Los Angeles Times as a “series of high notes that trembles exquisitely almost without break.” ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ___________________________________________________________⁠ #seattlelitscene #poetrynorthwest #pnw #pnwpoetry #oceanvuong #seattleartsandlectures #wa #seattlewa #washingtonlitscene⁠
Are you an @amazonprime member? Support us by sele Are you an @amazonprime member? Support us by selecting Poetry Northwest as your chosen charity on @AmazonSmile, and @amazon will donate a portion of the eligible purchase price to us at no additional cost to you! It only takes a minute or two. ( :⁠ ⁠ Click the link in our bio for a helpful how-to article.
Here's a peek at a poem recently published on our Here's a peek at a poem recently published on our website: "Kith Nor Kin / Foster Care Preparedness Assessment" by Rebecca Morton⁠ ⁠ Click the link in our bio to read the full poem!
We’re overjoyed to announce the winners of the i We’re overjoyed to announce the winners of the inaugural James Welch Prize. ⁠It was an honor and a pleasure to review this incredible wealth of Native talent alongside our friends at In-Na-Po @in_na_po and with the help of guest judge Sherwin Bitsui @sherwinbitsui. ⁠ ⁠ We are ecstatic to congratulate winners Kenzie Allen @cerena and Brendan Basham @bsbasham! ⁠ They will both be presenting their work with Sherwin Bitsui this fall. Kenzie Allen will read for Seattle Arts & Lectures at Hugo House, and Brendan Basham will read in Missoula for the Beargrass Writing Retreat.⁠ ⁠ Congratulations, too, to our outstanding finalists:⁠ Melanie Merle⁠ ⁠ Josie Valdez⁠ Rachel Johnson⁠ Annie Wenstrup⁠ @akwenstrup⁠ Shelbi Fitzpatrick⁠ Abigail Chabitnoy⁠ Kalehua Kim⁠ @kalehuakim⁠ Michael Wasson⁠ @kamechanpoem⁠ ⁠ You can read all their brilliant poems in the forthcoming Summer & Fall 2021 Issue. Subscribe today to ensure you receive a copy by clicking the link in our bio!⁠
CLMP

Partners

Seattle Arts & Lectures
In-Na-Po (Indigenous Nations Poets)
Vandal Poem of the Day
poets.org

With the support of

Everett Community College
The Kinsman Foundation
The Community Foundation of Snohomish County
Everett Cultural Arts Commission
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
Humanities Washington
readers & supporters like you

Poetry Northwest would like to acknowledge that our publications are made on the traditional homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples—including the Tullalip, Snohomish, Stillaguamish, and Sauk-Suiattle Tribes—whom we wish to honor, past and present, with the deepest respect and gratitude.

Illuminating poetry since 1959

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • © 2021 Poetry Northwest and its authors