Poets Reading the News is a 501(c)3 literary organization that bridges journalism and poetry. Its mission is to enact poetry’s vital cultural function as a processor for cultural complexity and political change. 

Since launching in September 2016, Poets Reading the News has published hundreds of breaking news poems. Notable contributors include Joy Harjo, Craig Santos Perez, Lauren Camp, Philip Metres, Jane Yolen and Yvonne Daley. Its moving coverage of the Oakland Ghostship fire, gun violence, politics, climate change, and immigration has attracted a devoted readership and a deeply involved writing community.

You can learn more about the organization's origin stories in this Ivoh Magazine article or by listening to the NPR interview with Lois Reitzes.

Poets Reading the News is also known for its immersive and unique events, ranging from thematic poetry readings  to multidisciplinary performances in the arts underground of Oakland, San Francisco and New Orleans. The organization specializes in both formal and experimental writing workshops.