Editorial Focus
American Poetry Journal (APJ) looks for emotionally adept, risk-taking work that hones its craft skillfully, honestly, and imaginatively, always keeping not only APJ’s readers in mind but also the journal’s commitment of transparency to the literary community.
Tips From the Editor
American Poetry Journal strives to publish poems we cannot shake off because they’re unique; they’re intestinal; they’re honest; they progress, leave us deep rooted and committed. We look for distinctiveness, want bold metaphors, sonics like we’ve never heard before, a shared purpose in the unfolding of the poem. We want poems that question humanity and engage us in contemporary as well as age-old concepts, but we’d love a dreamscape with imagery that leaves us questioning ourselves. Challenge us without pretentiousness and show us craft woven/broken/spun/sifted through glass—the unimaginable, the courageous, the sublime.