Poetry Daily is an anthology of contemporary poetry. Each day, we bring you a new poem from new books, magazines, and journals. Below, learn more about our mission, the partnership between the Daily Poetry Association and George Mason University, our selection guidelines and how you can subscribe to our daily e-mail newsletter.
Founded in 1997, Poetry Daily is a 501(c)3 non-profit daily anthology of contemporary poetry. Our editors read journals and books of poems first published from the widest range of sources we can find, from across the US and the world—and we continually seek to expand that reading. We carefully select the best and most interesting poems from those publications for our thousands of readers.
Each day we present one of those poems to you. Poems are chosen from the work of a wide variety of poets published or translated in the English language. Poetry’s most eminent writers are represented in our selections and also poets who are less well known. Included with each poem is information about the poet and the poem’s source.
Mission
Our purpose is to provide readers with a window on a very broad range of poetry offered annually by publishers large and small—to make it easier for people to find poets and poetry they like—and to help publishers bring news of their books, magazines, and journals to more people.
Well over 1,000 books of poetry are published in the United States alone each year, but they can be difficult to find, even in areas brimming with bookstores. The numerous journals presenting new poetry and poets can be even more elusive. We will lead you to them and, in the meantime, we give you a new poem to carry with you through your day and share with others.
The Daily Poetry Association and George Mason University
Poetry Daily is an online anthology of poetry published by The Daily Poetry Association, a not-for-profit charitable corporation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is edited and produced at George Mason University through a partnership of the George Mason University Libraries and Mason Creative Writing.
Creative writing students at Mason may apply for competitive editorial internships at Poetry Daily while pursuing their MFA degree. MFA and advanced BFA students may also enroll in an ongoing course that teaches organizational, publishing, editing, and writing skills useful to later careers in editing and publishing.
In 2020, George Mason University created Watershed Lit: Center for Literary Engagement and Practice to house public facing programs of Mason’s Creative Writing program. Poetry Daily is part of the center along with the Alan Cheuse Center for International Literature and Translation, Fall for the Book, the Northern Virginia Writing Project, and Stillhouse Press.
Selection Guidelines
Poetry Daily staff and editors carefully read every journal and book we feature. The poem we select from a given publication represents in our judgment the best and most interesting work of that publication.
Staff and members of the editorial board do not select poems written or published by close friends, relatives, current or former students, or workplace colleagues. If the outstanding poems of a book or journal all present a conflict of interest for the editor or staff member, they simply note the conflict and pass the book or journal to another reader. These mutually agreed on guidelines reflect an aspiration: to advocate for poetry outside of individual self-interest, to read outside of ordinary habits, to seek new surprises as readers—and to continue to discover what poetry is and does in our cultures.
Poetry Every Day
If this is your first visit to Poetry Daily, let us invite you to sign up for our free newsletter, which offers you the daily poem directly in your inbox. To keep up with Poetry Daily, you can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We’ll keep you posted with the daily poem, special editorial features, and poetry news and reviews.
