Free Poetry Magazine Issues

Read our poetry issues

We publish an issue every quarter. Our poetry issues have free submissions and are free to read. To be considered for publication in our next issue, you can submit your poem here.

  • Abstract stormy sky with fiery orange and red clouds and lightning, with the text 'IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD' and 'Issue 16 Free The Verse' overlaid.

    16: It’s not the end of the world

    The origins of the word ‘apocalypse’ lie in the phrase ‘to uncover’.

    Issue Sixteen
  • Illustration of an astronaut standing on the moon, holding two red and yellow flags, with the title 'Signal' and the subtitle 'Free The Verse: Issue 15' at the top.

    15: Signal

    Humans are strange creatures. Some animals keep their codes simple.

    Issue Fifteen
  • Black and white photo of a mannequin head with an open mouth, wires, and a plug on its face, with the words 'LOUDER' in pink at the top and 'FREE THE VERSE: ISSUE 14' at the bottom.

    14: Louder!

    What do you want to shout about? The poems in this issue talk about what it means to make noise.

    Issue Fourteen
  • Here again cover image

    13: Here again

    The poems in Here again move between present and past, between reality and the surreal.

    Issue thirteen
  • Illustration of a running cow over a colorful background with the text 'ARC' and '12 ISSUE' and handwritten note 'For The Kids'.

    12: Arc

    An arc suggests movement – a bending toward something, a learning curve, a passage from one place to another.

    Issue Twelve
  • Issue 11: Flower

    11: Flower

    Flower is an issue about life. Here, the flower becomes a symbol of survival and a marker of remembrance.

    Issue Eleven
  • A fish with blue and silver scales lying on a pink surface, partially inside a white eggshell, with a colorful abstract background and the text "ISSUE 10 FREE THE VERSE OUT."

    10: Out

    The theme of Out is an invitation to reflect on boundaries: those that hold us in, and those we are looking to escape.

    Issue Ten
  • White clay or ceramic sculptures resembling animal skulls tied together, with the word 'BODIES' spelled out below in similar material. Small text says 'Issue 9' and 'Free The Verse' around the sculptures.

    9: Bodies

    Issue 9 has become corporeal all on its own. We knew Bodies as a theme would pull in different directions.

    Issue Nine
  • Hot Water | Poetry Issue 08

    08: Hot Water

    The poems in this issue each act as a small window into a life you might or might not have lived.

    Issue Eight
  • Do You Smell Burning? Issue 07 - Poetry

    07: Do You Smell Burning?

    This issue is about how it feels to be an observer, and what it means to smell the smoke before anyone else.

    Issue Seven
  • Abstract artwork of a man and woman embracing in a spiral pattern with the text 'Pulling Tech Issue 6'.

    06: Pulling Teeth

    Pulling Teeth is an issue about pain in all of its many forms – and particularly pain as a companion (or inhibitor) to a journey of growth that is rarely linear…

    Issue Six
  • An illustration with the quote 'I don't want to talk about it' written in bold black letters over a colorful background of pink, purple, and peach with abstract patterns. A drawing of a chair is below the quote, with small scattered dots around.

    05: I Don't Want To Talk About It

    I Don’t Want To Talk About It is an issue about loud absences…

    Issue Five
  • Cover of a magazine titled 'FEAST' with the subtitle 'Free The Verse' Issue 04. An art piece resembling a black dragon with textured and fabric materials, including berries and small objects, is attached to the page.

    04: Feast

    These are subversive, wise-cracking troublemakers of poems, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Issue Four
  • An abstract background with swirling orange and yellow hues, featuring white boxes with black text that read 'the way back,' along with additional text indicating 'Issue 3' and 'Free The Verse.'

    03: The Way Back

    The tone of our journal is not up to us. It is down to you. Each poet brings a unique story to tell and dances with ‘The Way Back’ in their own way…

    Issue Three
  • Cover of a magazine titled 'High Tide', Issue 2: Free the Verse, with a blue and white abstract background and a brown circle in the center.

    02: High Tide

    Dive in – let the poems carry you through the issue. Watch as details of quotidian life emerge, so specific and unique yet impossibly universal…

    Issue Two
  • A colorful painting of a tree with the word 'ROOTS' written in large white letters, and the text 'Free the Verse | Issue One' in smaller font at the bottom.

    01: Roots

    We could never have imagined the high calibre of the contributors in our first issue, nor the depth and breadth of their collective imaginations…

    Issue One