The Verse Is All

May 3, 2026 — Leave a comment

Poet In Verse Journal — Now Available on Amazon

I’ve always thought of poetry as something that begins in private.

The act of writing it, at least. Those solitary moments where lines drift in and out of existence within the mind before finally manifesting onto screen or page. This, for me, has been my sole preoccupation in poetry – creating the content, and then sharing wherever I can, which is why creating and editing Poet In Verse Journal has felt like such a step change.

An Unexpected Turn

At the beginning of 2025, I hadn’t set out to found a print journal of poetry.

Yet somewhere along the way, after a series of unrelated occurrences, the idea took hold, and gained momentum.

In reflecting on this, I was reminded that my great-great-great grandfather, Reverend George William Cubitt, once served as a national editor for the Methodist Church in England, though whether that suggests some inherited editorial instinct, I’m not entirely sure—especially given I also descend from a long line of bakers and can’t make a decent scone!

But something about the role did feel intuitive. I had enjoyed self-publishing my series of planetary poems (The Planetary Ennead) two years previously in 2023, and surprisingly, perhaps also the instincts of my work as an archivist: to gather, to organise, to preserve – despite poetry having been a solace to me from my work life, amongst other things, also played their part.

And that is very much how this journal has been approached.

From Writing to Curating

What this project has done, more than anything, is expand my approach to poetry.

Rather than focus solely on my own work, I’ve spent months reading submissions from a wide range of poets. Different voices, different styles, different perspectives—each bringing something distinct to the page.

What surprised me most was the volume of submissions for a fledgling journal, and the range of work submitted.

Not just in subject, but in tone and approach. Some poems are quiet and reflective, others immediate and striking.  Also, to my delight, as I read through them, patterns began to emerge of their own accord – shared concerns, similar questions. Different answers.

This made me feel justified in my decision not to impose a theme.

Life doesn’t organise itself neatly and so poetry, as an abstraction of life, rarely does either. What you’ll find in this inaugural edition is something closer to lived experience in all its variety—moments of joy and grief, humour and gravity, love and introspection.

A Journal Designed To Last

One of the most important decisions for me was to publish this as a print journal.

Not just something to scroll past, but something to hold. To return to. To keep.

In many ways, I’ve approached it as an artefact—something with a degree of permanence. A collection of voices brought together in a form that can sit on a library shelf, be revisited, and perhaps take on new meaning over time.

In aspiring for the journal’s endurance this brought with it an unexpected, yet welcome, sense of responsibility and privilege for the curation of other poets’ work.

A Strong Start

Since launch, Poet In Verse Journal:

  • Reached the Top 20 on Amazon UK in Poetry Anthologies
  • Was a Top New Release on Amazon US/Worldwide in the same category

For a debut annual journal, that’s been incredibly encouraging, and a real reflection of the quality of the work inside.

Available Now (UK & Worldwide)

You can find Poet In Verse Journal on Amazon here:

If you enjoy contemporary poetry, or are simply looking for something thoughtful, varied, and genuinely human, then this is a collection worth spending time with.

Across the collection, this sense of why we write returns again and again:

“I don’t write to leave the world.
I write because it keeps returning to me –
because there are days I would disappear
if I didn’t answer back.”
Ways of Not Disappearing, by May Garner
Poet In Verse Journal, Volume I

A Final Word

Putting this journal together has changed the way I think about and read poetry.

It’s taken something that began as a solitary endeavour, and opened it out into something collaborative.

And that feels like a good new starting point.

Pick up your copy today and discover the voices shaping this first edition.

The Verse Is All!

Sam Bartle
Editor

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