The Poetry Box

Welcome to The Poetry Box

Your Partner in Publishing Poetry

“Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are not alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.” ―Dylan Thomas

Here at The Poetry Box®, we strongly believe great literature is meant to be accessible and enjoyed by everyone. Poetry is all around us. We invite you to share in the experience, to become an active witness to the beauty, the struggle, the joy, the sorrow and the ordinary brilliance of life. Through these carefully crafted observances we call poems, we as humans are led to the well of compassion and invited to get drunk on its language.

As a boutique publishing company, The Poetry Box® enjoys providing a platform for both established and emerging poets and writers to share their work — their words, their imagination, their artistry — with the world. We understand that in an ever-evolving publishing world, a one-size-fits-all paradigm doesn't work for every writer. Therefore, we offer various options to meet your publishing goals and present your work in the highest aesthetic possible, in a book you will be proud to share.

 

We invite all voices, and especially those that have been historically marginalized or under-heard to submit and partner with us.

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COMING SOON

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Congratulations to the Winners & Finalists
of The Poetry Box Chapbook Prize, 2026

 

Enjoy the Video from Our April Show:

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WARNING—A Scam Email Targeting Poets

Unfortunately, there is a new scam circulating via email that is using The Poetry Box and my name (Shawn Aveningo Sanders) to falsely invite poets to submit poems for consideration to be featured on our Zoom show, The Poetry Box LIVE.

All of these false invitations come from this FAKE (but similar) email shawn.thepoetrybox @ gmail.com and even use my photo. (Note: I never use a gmail address for our official Poetry Box correspondence.)

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THESE FAKE EMAILS.

Those who respond and show interest are then asked to “click” to select their preferred date and pay $150 for the opportunity to be a feature. The poet is then harassed repeatedly with more urgent requests for payment or "risk losing the opportunity."

Last week, I was alerted by several poets (some I know, some I don’t know) about this scam. I can only imagine how many of these emails are actually circulating and thus damaging our reputation. If you hear about any of your poet friends receiving these fake invitations, please let them know this is a scam.

For the record, The Poetry Box  invites poets whose books we publish to feature in our shows. There is NEVER a requirement of payment to participate and we don’t ask for a submission of sample poems for poets to click to pick their date.

Here's a sample of fake email and it's scam follow-up:

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