Disruptive
Poets
They tried to blame poetry.
We answered with more of it.
Poetry did not kill Renee Good.
Hate did.
you are welcome here
Disruptive Poets exists because a lie is being told loudly and often:
that art, queerness, truth-telling, and resistance are dangerous.
That poets provoke violence simply by speaking.
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We reject that narrative.
Renee Good was murdered because of hate.
Not because she wrote poems.
Not because she used her voice.
Not because she refused to be small.
This space is a living archive of voices that refuse erasure.
A gathering place for poets, writers, and artists whose work unsettles systems of power.
A reminder that disruption is not violence — silence is.
Our Purpose
Disruptive Poets is a collective platform that:
Centers writers targeted by political rhetoric and cultural erasure
Preserves work that challenges authoritarian narratives
Responds in real time to attacks on artists, educators, and marginalized
communities
Refuses to let victims be blamed for their own oppression
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This site will grow and change as the political landscape demands. Because silence is not an option.
Why “Disruptive”?
Because we are told:
to tone it down.
to be grateful.
to be palatable.
to be quiet.
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Disruptive is what they call you when you refuse to disappear.
We reclaim the word.
What You’ll Find Here
Featured poets responding to current events
Rotating collections centered on resistance and survival
Memorials to writers lost to violence
Calls for submissions
Political responses in verse
Community statements
Resources for action
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This is not a static site.
This is an evolving record of dissent
Submit Your Work
If your writing has ever been called:
too political.
too angry.
too queer.
too loud.
too much.
We want it.
Recent Poems
MANS/LAUGHTER
after Olivia Gatwood
By: Airea Johnson
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After school, on the bus,
I sit next to a boy from class.
Dorito dust covers his fingers
when he shoves his hands down my shirt,
the crimson sand stains my training bra.
He laughs, wipes his hands
on his pants.
That same year,
I listen to a lot of Eminem,
his silly skits about killing
his ex-wife Kim. In one song,
he pulls her out of the house
by her hair, throws her in a trunk,
leaves her to die, laughs so hard
her screams white noise, break lights.
Men invent new ways, new places
to murder women every week.
This time, a woman observes
an enforcement operation
from her car, smiles at the man
holding the gun, tries to leave
he shoots her three times:
her arm
her heart
her head
Fucking Bitch
he says, wipes the blood
from his face
after the kill
(on the execution of Alex Pretti)
By: Heather Emmerson
do not
believe
tales from
predators
after a fatal
attack.
do not
believe
the blood
on the snow
was justifiably
spilled.
do not
believe
the hunters
who would
make you their
next prey.
do not
believe
the killing
will end
if silent
we remain.
Submission Guidelines
SUBMISSIONS
Disruptive Poets accepts:
-
Poetry
-
Hybrid work
-
Micro-essays
-
Manifestos
-
Visual poetry
-
Collaborative pieces
-
Political responses
-
Grief work
-
Rage work
-
Joy as resistance
If you’ve ever been told your writing is:
-
too political
-
too queer
-
too angry
-
too loud
-
too much
Send it anyway.
Especially then.
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HOW TO SUBMIT
📩 Email your work to:
disruptivepoets@gmail.com
Attach your piece(s) as a PDF or paste them in the body of the email.
Include:
-
your name (or pseudonym)
-
pronouns (optional)
-
a short bio (optional but loved)
-
social links if you want to be tagged
There is no reading fee.
There will never be a reading fee.
Capitalism has already taken enough from poets.
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​
RESPONSE TIME
Look — I’ll get your work up as soon as I humanly can.
This is a passion project run by one tired academic with a laptop and a righteous grudge.
There is no staff.
There is no budget.
There is only me, caffeine, and a deep commitment to not letting your work disappear.
If it takes a minute, it’s not personal.
It’s just late-stage capitalism.
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​
RIGHTS
You keep all rights to your work.
Always.
We are not here to own you.
We are here to amplify you.
You are free to:
-
publish it elsewhere
-
submit it to journals
-
put it in a book
-
tattoo it on someone’s back (your business)
All we ask is:
If you publish it again,
give Disruptive Poets a shout-out
so more writers can find us.
Solidarity economy, baby.
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A NOTE ON EDITORIAL FIT
We will not publish:
-
hate speech
-
TERF nonsense
-
racism
-
misogyny
-
ableism
-
fascist apologia
-
victim-blaming
This space is curated.
Not neutral.
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FINAL WORD
If your poem scares someone in power,
you’re doing it right.
