Kaveh Akbar – “Every Drunk Wants to Die Sober It’s How We Beat The Game”


Performing at Inside Voices.

“Let me now be calm for one fucking second, let me be open to revision.”

Don’t miss this incredible poem from Kaveh Akbar, performing at Inside Voices.

Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January, 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Kofi Dadzie – “Black Don’t Crack”


Performing at CUPSI 2018.

“In high school my Black was looked at like a cheat code: Say my Black make me run faster, my Black makes me jump higher, my Black makes me rap good.”

Don’t miss this amazing poem from Kofi Dadzie, performing at CUPSI 2018 in Philadelphia, PA.

Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January, 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Blythe Baird – “I Lose My Voice During Sex”


Featuring at Icehouse.

“I do not feel entitled to ask for what I want; I don’t even know what I want.”

Don’t miss this powerful poem from Blythe Baird, featuring at Icehouse in Minneapolis.

Blythe’s forthcoming book, IF MY BODY COULD SPEAK (Feb 2019), is now available for pre-order!


Get Blythe’s Book Here
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While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Eliza Hope Duran – “My Unapology”

Performing at the 2018 Get Lit Classic Slam.

“Ever since I came out, my dad thinks all of my friends are my girlfriend.”

Don’t miss this magnificent poem from Eliza Hope Duran, performing during the 2018 Get Lit Words Ignite Classic Slam, the largest youth poetry tournament in Southern California. Order Get Lit Rising today at simonandschuster.com, and join the #LiteraryRiot at getlit.org.

Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Marieka Turner – “Debt”


Performing at CUPSI 2018.

“Pills and alcohol go together like bullets and a gun.”

Don’t miss this astonishing poem from Marieka Turner, performing at CUPSI 2018 in Philadelphia, PA.

Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January, 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Andrea Gibson – “Boomerang Valentine”


Featuring at Westcott Theater.

“My friend musters every bit of New Age jargon she can fit onto her tongue and says, ‘What if you are the love of your life?’ I think, ‘Oh my god, I hope that’s not true,’ because I am absolutely not my type.”

Don’t miss this breathtaking poem from Andrea Gibson, featuring at Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY.

Make sure to check out Andrea’s book, LORD OF THE BUTTERFLIES, NOW AVAILABLE!


Get Andrea’s Book Here
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While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, Hanif Abdurraqib, Donte Collins, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, & our newest release from Phil Kaye!

Mila Cuda & Sarah Nwafor – “Ode to Femme”


Performing at CUPSI 2018.

“Here’s to the root work, to building a house of cards on a moving train, to giving ourselves a second chance to be amazed by the stillness of our hands and the length of our temper.”

Don’t miss this remarkable poem from Mila Cuda & Sarah Nwafor, performing at CUPSI 2018 in Philadelphia, PA.

Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January, 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Desireé Dallagiacomo – “My First Altar”


Featuring at Icehouse.

“Can you believe that you, too, are someone’s altar? You are someone’s wildest dream.”

Don’t miss this phenomenal poem from Desireé Dallagiacomo, featuring at Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN.

Desireé’s forthcoming book, SINK, dropping spring 2019, is now available for pre-order!


Get Desireé’s Book Here
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Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January, 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Best of 2018 #10: Julissa Emile – “Tropical Depression”

Best of 2018 #10: Julissa Emile – “Tropical Depression”

“Maybe the women of my family are hurricanes, and maybe hurricane is just a name that man gave to mother nature’s reclamation of herself.”

Heading into the new year, we’ll be counting down the top-viewed videos on Button from 2018! Coming in tenth on the list, “Tropical Depression” by Julissa Emile. Congratulations Julissa!

Note: This countdown list only covers a small fraction of the brilliant artists who let us share their work on our channel this year, and is by no means a definitive list of the “best” poems, simply the ones that got the most views. Take some time and check out more from the past year on our channel.



And while you’re here, make sure to check out our other books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and posters, and books by Rudy Francisco, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, and our newest release from Andrea Gibson!

Spencer Brownstein – “The Dead Ride Shotgun”


Performing at Amsterdam Bar and Hall.

“I don’t think there’s any difference between being alive and being a hearse. We all must carry the dead inside of us.”

Don’t miss this awesome poem from Spencer Brownstein, performing at Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul, MN.

Send us your poetry! 2018 Chapbook Contest is open Now – January, 15th, 2019! Submit Here!

While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including books by Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Rachel Wiley, Neil Hilborn, Phil Kaye, & our newest release from Andrea Gibson!