Founded in 1988, Poetry London is the city’s premier poetry magazine and one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organizations (2023–2026). We publish three times a year – our Spring issue in March, our Summer issue in June and our Autumn issue in October. Our launches are held at the Southbank Centre in collaboration with the National Poetry Library. Our renowned annual poetry prize has helped launch the careers of some of the leading lights of contemporary UK poetry, including Liz Berry, Niall Campbell, Richard Scott, and Romalyn Ante, among others.  

Poetry London’s editorial team is headed by the Italian-Iranian writer André Naffis-Sahely and Isabelle Baafi, a British poet and editor of Jamaican and South African descent. Previous editors have included Pascale Petit, Moniza Alvi, Maurice Riordan, Martha Kapos, Colette Bryce, Martha Sprackland, and Ahren Warner.

Poetry London Presents is back!

After an incredible first run, we are delighted to announce the return of this innovative scheme!

If you are a current subscriber, or purchase a copy of the latest issue of Poetry London, then submit a poem for consideration by poetry editor Niall Campbell. The winning poem will feature on our socials as part of our new Poetry London Presents series. 

With over 13,000 followers on Instagram and 41,000 on Twitter/X, we're keen to use our social media to discover and promote new voices. Since its inception, Poetry London has pushed poetic boundaries and served as a platform for vital contemporary voices. Poetry London Presents is our way of shifting this ideology to fit with the digital age. Through this new competition series, we aim to challenge current notions of publication and create a new stage for work at the forefront of contemporary poetry.


Rules : To qualify for entry, 

  • be a current subscriber or purchase a copy of the latest edition of Poetry London (Please include your order number in the Submittable form).
  • Submit one poem via Submittable (maximum 10 lines).
Poetry London