About Us
WHO WE ARE
Since 2004, Write Bloody Publishing has been giving voice to the poets who make audiences lean in and critics take notice; the troubadour poets who command the stage as fiercely as they command the page.
Founded by award-winning traveling poet and former 82nd Airborne paratrooper Derrick C. Brown, Write Bloody was born from a simple observation: the most electrifying poets in America were destroying audiences in bars, theaters, and clubs, yet they only had chapbooks to sell. These were the poets selling out shows, sleeping in vans, and crashing on couches. They deserved beautiful, ISBN-kissed books.
OUR MISSION
Write Bloody Publishing is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit poetry press based in Los Angeles. Since 2004, we have published 165 titles by living poets from across the United States, with a focus on diverse voices and underrepresented authors, and all poets must tour like a band.
We believe great poetry slows you down in a fast digital age and changes people for the better. We publish poems you’ll actually want to read and share. Poetry that makes you feel something.
Our mission is to make beautiful poetry easy to find and to make sure the people writing it can afford to keep going.
What we do
We publish voices that are often left out. Across 165 titles, we have given writers from underrepresented communities a real shot at being read, many of them without access to the traditional gatekeepers of the literary world. We also care about the book itself: gorgeous books that feel as good in your hands as the poems sound in your ears.
We pay writers fairly. We believe authors should make a living doing what they love, so we pay fair royalties and work with our poets as partners.
We put poets on stage. Our authors tour, performing in venues large and small and reaching people who would never walk into a poetry section on their own. Every show is a chance for a stranger to hear a poem and feel something. Broad fan bases get built one room at a time.
Who we serve
The best compliment we often get is, "I thought I hated poetry until I read _____." Readers who think poetry isn’t for them. Students and teachers looking for work that connects. Emerging writers, especially those wildly creative, into craft and from underrepresented backgrounds, who need a real path to publication. Underground poetry fans. And the communities our poets visit.
Why it matters
Poetry is one of the oldest ways people make sense of grief, joy, anger, and love. When it’s accessible, it gives people language for what they’re living through. When writers are paid fairly and from every background, more voices get heard, not only the ones who can afford to work for free.
Write Bloody exists to keep that going: publish great poets, pay them, send them to the people out on the road, and let the work do what it does.
OUR FAMILY
We're America's #1 indie publisher of beautiful poetry, distributed internationally. Over 21 years, we've published 185+ titles, from National Poetry Slam champions to #1 New York Times bestsellers, from debut collections that won NAACP Image Awards to TED speakers with millions of views.
Our authors include Andrea Gibson, Clint Smith, Sarah Kay, Anis Mojgani, Franny Choi, Taylor Mali, and tons of other poets who prove that going to a reading can be as powerful as seeing a live band or watching an unforgettable movie.
OUR STANDARD
"We love getting knocked on our asses by honesty," says founder Derrick C. Brown. We're looking for a gut punch. We love subtlety. We love nuance. And we love work that makes you put down your phone and pay attention.
If you write well and read well out loud, we are the press for you.
OUR REACH
Check out our sister company, Write Bloody North (founded 2018 by Brad Morden in Toronto), publishing groundbreaking voices and Northern poetry legends.
Our books are in bookstores worldwide—from Guam to Berlin, from record shops to prominent colleges, strange theaters to swampy bars.
READ MORE
About Write Bloody Publishing:
Small Press Points: Write Bloody Publishing | Poets & Writers, March 2023
An in-depth profile of Write Bloody's mission to publish "troubadour poets" who command the stage as well as the page. Features insights from founder Derrick C. Brown on building a press that celebrates touring authors and honest, gut-punch poetry.
Portrait of a Press: Write Bloody Fights to Bring the Stage to the Page | Los Angeles Review of Books, June 2014
A behind-the-scenes look at Write Bloody's origin story, from bankruptcy and awful book covers to becoming a movement. Brown discusses the war between working self and creative self, and how the press bounced from Nashville to Long Beach to Austin.
Write Bloody Publishing Profile | Razorcake
An extensive interview with Derrick Brown about Write Bloody's author-friendly royalties, touring mandate, rock-world aesthetics, and what distinguishes the press from other indie publishers. Includes discussions about the brick-and-mortar store and working with album cover artists.
The Return of the Troubadours | Forbes
Forbes explores how Write Bloody is paving the way for poetry to become as ordinary as going to the movies or seeing a band, profiling the press's grassroots approach to building touring poets' careers.
Andrea Gibson:
A Wild and Precious Life: Remembering Andrea Gibson | Poetry Foundation, October 2025
A moving tribute to Andrea Gibson's life and legacy, featuring reflections from fellow poets including Sonya Renee Taylor and Write Bloody founder Derrick Brown. Explores Andrea's journey from slam poetry stages to becoming Colorado's Poet Laureate, and their profound impact on LGBTQ+ youth and poetry communities worldwide.
Ten Questions for Andrea Gibson | Poets & Writers, November 2018
Andrea discusses their writing process, touring constantly while struggling to write on the road, and the power of poetry to change hearts instantly. They reflect on creating "Lord of the Butterflies" and their commitment to accessible poetry that anyone can understand.
Spotlight on Colorado's Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson | Denver Life Magazine, September 2024
Andrea shares how their cancer diagnosis helped them "fall further in love with the world" and transformed their poetry toward light and celebration. They discuss balancing beautiful writing with clear communication and why the world needs more poetry to return us to wonder.
In Conversation with Andrea Gibson | Rough Cut Press, July 2023
A deep conversation about truth as healing, even when it fills us with grief. Andrea discusses how truth-telling builds momentum toward positive change and why they use poetry to inspire hearts to open further to the world.
'Dying is the opposite of leaving': Andrea Gibson's moving poem goes viral | NBC Chicago, July 2025
In their final TV interview before passing, Andrea read their poem "Love Letter From the Afterlife" to wife Megan Falley. The moment went viral with millions of views, bringing comfort to people facing loss and reminding us that we never really leave the ones we love.
Finding Compassion in Poetry: Q&A with Colorado's Poet Laureate | Colorado Office of Economic Development
Andrea reflects on serving as Colorado's Poet Laureate, teaching metaphors to second graders one day and reading poems about gun violence on the radio the next. They discuss where hope resides—in the compassion that connects us all and the love at the core of our humanity.
Clint Smith:
Clint Smith | The Poetry Foundation
Biography and overview of Clint Smith's work, including his poetry collection "Counting Descent" (2016) and his #1 New York Times bestselling meta-historical travelogue "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" (2021).
Clint Smith's Publications | Official site
A comprehensive collection of Clint Smith's published work, including articles in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review, and more. Features essays on race, education, history, and contemporary American life.
Teaching a poetry collection with Counting Descent | Teach Living Poets
An educator's guide to using Clint Smith's debut poetry collection in the classroom, including mentor text strategies, pairing poems with music and historical texts, and inspiring students who "would not call themselves poets" to write powerful work.
Counting Descent | Zinn Education Project
A teacher and scholar celebrates Black humanity through coming-of-age poems that are political, historical, and deeply personal. The collection won the 2017 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award.
Sarah Kay:
Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter... | TED Talk, March 2011
Sarah Kay's legendary TED talk that received two standing ovations, where she performs "B" and "Hiroshima" and shares her metamorphosis from a wide-eyed teenager at the Bowery Poetry Club to founder of Project V.O.I.C.E., connecting kids worldwide with the power of self-expression.
Sarah Kay's Way with Words | On Being, June 2020
Krista Tippett explores how Sarah Kay makes words more connective in an age that's technological but still deeply human. Sarah discusses poetry as both ancient and new—it's Homer, it's Shakespeare, it's Regina Spektor, it's Jay-Z—and how listening is the better part of speaking.
TED Talks Daily Book Club: A Little Daylight Left | TED, June 2025
Sarah reflects on her relationship with poetry—from reading poems her parents left in her lunchbox to becoming an "accidental ambassador" of spoken word. She discusses using different artistic mediums to invite others into poetry and how the art form opens us to community, healing, and vulnerability.
Poetry and keeping your mind open to creativity | NPR, March 2023
Sarah Kay shares how the simple act of observing the world around us can open our minds to a universe of inspiration and creativity, and why letting go is the best spark for creative work.
About Sarah Kay | Official site
Sarah Kay's official bio and press page, featuring profiles from The New Yorker, ELLE, and Rookie Magazine. Learn about her five books of poetry, Project VOICE, her TED talks, and performances in over 30 countries.
Anis Mojgani:
Portland Poet Anis Mojgani Challenges Grief And Greek Gods | OPB, June 2020
Anis discusses "In the Pockets of Small Gods," exploring grief after his marriage dissolution and the older sorrows it dredged up. The book interweaves Greek mythology with figures like Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath, showing how grief throws us back through chapters we haven't fully dealt with.
Portland Monthly Interviews Oregon's New Poet Laureate | Poetry Foundation
Anis reflects on beginning his laureate term in May 2020 during tremendous uncertainty. He discusses the need for powerful imagination and poetry's role in allowing us to envision what our world can become, serving both Oregon and poetry itself.
Q+A with Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani | Literary Arts, June 2020
Anis shares his journey from discovering poetry in high school to becoming Oregon's Poet Laureate. He offers advice for aspiring poets: "Don't let fear stand between you and letting what's inside you out. Poetry is the opportunity to make sense of who we are."
The Soulful Poetry of Anis Mojgani | Soul Boom Dispatch, November 2024
A profile exploring Anis's journey as a two-time National Poetry Slam Champion and Oregon's Poet Laureate, his Bahá'í Faith, growing up Iranian-American in New Orleans, and how his work bridges the intimate and mythic through themes of identity, love, and the sacred.
Embracing intimacy and uncertainty: 'At Work With' Oregon's poet laureate | OPB, March 2025
OPB visits Anis's Portland studio to learn about the work life of a poet and serving as Oregon's official poet laureate. He discusses how poetry creates intimacy and helps us welcome uncertainty: "To be human is to be constantly navigating uncertainty."
'Bear witness' to poetry as civic engagement with former Oregon Poet Laureate | The Beacon, April 2025
Anis speaks about poetry as civic engagement at The Everyday Democracy Showcase. He discusses how poetry creates electric connections between people and how observing the world around us is the beginning of noticing what we want our shared spaces to become.
Poetry and Politics with Anis Mojgani | Oregon Humanities
A live recording examining the complex relationship between poetry and politics during Anis's time as Oregon's Poet Laureate (2020-2024). He discusses beginning his term during the tumultuous summer of 2020 and the unique role of a governor-appointed laureate.
Anis Mojgani Interview | DIVEDAPPER
An in-depth conversation about Anis's creative process, which he likens to "running down a hill—the more I run the more my speed is taken out of my control." He discusses surprise as the most privileged element in poetry and his approach to discovery and wonder in his work.