Poetry Northwest

ABOUT

Poetry Northwest was founded in 1959 in Seattle, one of the longest-running regional poetry magazines in the United States, and its early years included Theodore Roethke among the poets who shaped its reputation. After a hiatus, it was revived in 2005 and has continued under a series of editors associated with the Pacific Northwest literary scene, most recently Keetje Kuipers, with the magazine now published in partnership with Everett Community College. It has become known for the James Welch Prize, a juried award for poets, and for a steady, unfussy editorial identity that favors lyric craft over trend-chasing, publishing both emerging and established voices alongside interviews and critical essays.

The current operation runs a hybrid model: a website that posts a 'Weekly Poem' and prose (interviews, essays) on a rolling basis, supplementing periodic print issues. The site does not display submission guidelines, fees, or response-time information on its front page, so poets should check the site's dedicated submissions page directly before sending work, and confirm whether the magazine is in an open or closed reading period, as many magazines of this size run seasonal windows rather than year-round submissions. The James Welch Prize is a distinct, separately timed opportunity worth tracking if you write in forms or from perspectives the prize is designed to spotlight; recent winners and finalists are featured in an online folio rather than solely in print.