The Poetry Business is a leading writer development agency and an outstanding independent press.

Established in the early eighties, we now have over three decades of experience in nurturing the writing and developing the careers of hundreds of poets. Our teaching, mentoring and editorial work is widely regarded as the benchmark in writer development provision.

The Poetry Business is undoubtedly one of the most important initiatives in UK poetry

Carol Ann Duffy

We publish books, pamphlets and The North, a twice-yearly literary magazine; teach poetry workshops across the UK, and run intensive residential courses and an advanced Writing School for published poets.

The Poetry Business has become an integral part of the British poetry landscape since it was established in 1986. Sir Andrew Motion described us as ‘one of the most vital and vitalising literary organisations in the country’.

International in reach, and run with energy, imagination and commitment

Blake Morrison

Our International Book & Pamphlet Competition is an important date in the literary calendar. It has discovered and promoted countless numbers of now established poets and continues to support and publish writers across the UK and further afield. In 2015 we developed The New Poets Prize, an annual pamphlet prize that creates new publishing and mentoring opportunities for poets between the ages of 17 and 24.

The business’ imprint, Smith|Doorstop has a varied and dynamic back catalogue of publications by many of the UK’s most well-known poets.

Our publishing has expanded in the past two years to incorporate Small|Donkey, an imprint for children’s poetry, and The New Poets List, which showcases poets aged 17-24.

We have also worked with Carol Ann Duffy on a Laureate’s Choice project to edit and publish four outstanding new poets annually. In both 2012 and 2017 The Poetry Business won the Michael Marks Award for Pamphlet Publishers.