Poetry is one of the most historically rich, complex, and beautiful forms of expression in any language. The cultural and emotional impact that poetry has had over the years cannot be overstated.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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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.

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

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.

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

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

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?)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Aberration Labyrinth Aberration Labyrinth publishes a short e-digest six times a year. Each issue features 10-20 pieces of poetry. They used to be on twitter but I can’t find them now in 2020?

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. If they’re on twitter, please let us know in the comments below.

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. (offline as of January, 2020?)

Lexicon Polaroid Lexicon Polaroid is a literary journal that sews visual art and poetry together. Issues include poems, illustrations and even videos. Let us know if you’re a fan in the comments below.

Abramelin Abramelin has been publishing high quality poetry since the summer of 2006. They are now publishing monthly poetry and bios of featured poets.

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. (offline as of January, 2020?)

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.

Chaparral Chaparral is an online journal featuring poetry exclusively from Southern California. They publish a journal of unpublished poetry each season.

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. (offline as of January, 2020?)

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.

Visions-International Visions International is published by Black Buzzard Press. This non-profit group works for the promotion of poetry and the arts.

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.

My Favorite Bullet My Favorite Bullet is a non-subscription electronic publication seeking free verse poetry. Submissions are accepted year-round.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?)

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?)

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Antiphon Poetry Magazine Antiphon Poetry Magazine is a showcase for the best in British and international poetry. Get Updates On Twitter: @AntiphonPoetry

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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. (offline as of January, 2020?)

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.

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.

Poetry Quarterly Poetry Quarterly is published 4 times a year. The website serves as a companion to the print journal.

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.