Established in 2006 to celebrate creative writing by Black women writers across the diaspora, Torch publishes poetry Editor: Amanda Johnston Associate Editor: Jae Nichelle Monthly Feature Friday Features Visual Artist Friday Features POETRY Friday Feature: Jordan Bolden Majewski Jordan Bolden Majewski (she/they) is a They write about the systems we must carry our bodies through– the FICTION Friday Feature: Ashley M. She is an alum SCRIPT Friday Feature: JUSTICE Born in Jackson, Tennessee, JUSTICE is a rising film director

has been awarded the Pushcart Prize for “ Black Person Head Bob ” published June 9, 2023, as a Torch Friday Feature! Her work has appeared or is upcoming in Typehouse, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cutbank Journal, and We accept submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays and screenplays) by Since 1976, hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been

< Back Celebrating Black Women's Contributions to Poetry All Month Long Brittany Heckard Apr 1, 2025 Black History Month and Women’s History Month, we’re keeping the acknowledgments alive with National Poetry Your poetry is ignited with historical takes, generational proverbs, and collective snaps and praises Check out how you can celebrate with Torch during National Poetry Month below! , Tanya Shirley Read poetry by our Friday Features Watch on YouTube Torch’s Solar Saturday Showcase featuring

< Back Celebrating 20 Years of Highlighting Black Women in Poetry Apr 2, 2026 Torch is elated to celebrate National Poetry Month and the Black women poets in our community. 20 years ago, Torch was founded by For us, National Poetry Month is a full-circle moment celebrating Black women’s words. 20 years by attending our events and reading from some groundbreaking poetry below. Malika Booker Read poetry by our Friday Features Watch on YouTube Wildfire Reading Series with Ebony

< Back Celebrating National Poetry Month with an Ode to Poets Brittany Heckard Apr 5, 2024 Every April This month, Torch is celebrating National Poetry Month by pouring into our community. We’re starting off celebrating National Poetry Month by highlighting our April Feature, Yona Harvey. She is making Texas and poetry history as the first Black woman to be the state’s laureate. Salon Torch Magazine Read our April 2024 Feature, Yona Harvey Read the poetry Friday Features by Isha

Torch Magazine has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson Torch Magazine Read Online August 2026 Torch 20th Anniversary Special Feature: Patricia Smith & Lynne Lynne Thompson served as Los Angeles’ 4th Poet Laureate and is the author of four collections of poetry A lawyer by training, Thompson serves on the Boards of The Poetry Foundation, Los Angeles Review of Books , her alma mater, Scripps College, and is the current President Friday Feature: Ashley M.

Friday, March 6: 11:00 a.m. - Torch Feature by Khalisa Rae , author of Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat Wheeler Poetry Prize, the Ohioana Book Award for Poetry, and a Maryland Individual Artist Award. Poetry Series at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. Her poetry appears in Southern Humanities Review , Gravy , Frontier Poetry , Florida Review , Rust & Brooks Poetry Prize, among other prizes.

Check out our three events below: Friday, November 15 at the Carver Museum: Join us for a free kickoff the Speakeasy: In partnership with Texas Book Festival, join us at 8pm for an inspiring evening of poetry She is the author of four collections of poetry, Beg No Pardon, winner of the Perugia Press Prize and , and the Steven Dunn Poetry Prize, as well as fellowships from the Summer Literary Series (Kenya) and Renee’’s poetry, fiction and nonfiction has been anthologized and published widely.

The Poetry Foundation grant will support Torch Features, ensuring that all published writers are paid The Poetry Foundation has donated over $6.3 million to U.S. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia About the Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. , and share poetry.

Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship and won the inaugural John Lewis Writing Award in poetry Her poetry has appeared in Best New Poets 2020 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), the Washington Square Nichelle is a slam poetry champion, and her spoken word poems have been featured by Write About Now, Speak Up Poetry Series, and Button Poetry.

Jones serves as Director for Northwestern University Press and acquires poetry for the TriQuarterly Books Jones is the author of Vessel: Poems (Milkweed Editions), winner of the Midwest Book Award and featured She has been honored with the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Margaret Walker Short Story Award, and Jones has been featured on PBS Newshour, the Academy of American Poets, espnW, and an international poetry Board President for the Cave Canem Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Poetry

< Back Torch Announces First Ever Nominations for Best New Poets Anthology Apr 29, 2026 Two Torch Features In celebrating National Poetry Month and of 20 years of creating space for Black women writers, Torch Tie’s work appears or is upcoming in Lucky Jefferson , Querencia Press , Midway Journal , Shō Poetry on Best of Button Poetry . She has featured at a number of local venues and is the 2024/2025 Poetry Grand Slam Champion of San Antonio