The American Poetry Review
The American Poetry Review is an independent non-profit literary magazine founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, publishing bimonthly contemporary poetry and criticism to a worldwide audience of poets and readers, supported by subscriptions, donations, shop sales, and three annual literary prizes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The American Poetry Review does
The American Poetry Review (APR) is an independent non-profit literary magazine founded in 1972 and headquartered at 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It publishes a bimonthly magazine of contemporary poetry, translations, literary criticism, interviews, and essays, and currently operates in its 55th volume. Over its 50+ year history, APR has published the work of more than 6,000 writers and serves a worldwide audience of poets, poetry readers, and literary institutions.
APR's product portfolio centers on the magazine itself, supplemented by the APR Podcast (produced with RADIOKISMET), the APR/Honickman First Book Prize ($3,000 plus publication, distributed by Copper Canyon Press), the Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize ($1,000 for poets under 40), and the newly established Stern Prize for poets over 50. Submissions are managed through Submittable, subscriptions through SimpleCirc, and merchandise and back issues through a Shopify storefront. The organization is led by Editor in Chief Elizabeth Scanlon, Business Manager Mike Duffy, and a Board of Directors chaired by Jonathan Katz.
APR's revenue model combines recurring subscription income (print and digital via SimpleCirc), one-time shop sales via Shopify, tiered reader donations through the Friends of APR program ($100, $250, $500 levels with book rewards), and print advertising sold directly. Distribution spans global online channels for subscriptions, submissions, and merchandise, with domestic print advertising as the only enterprise-facing line. The organization operates without disclosed parent, investor, or venture backing, relying on reader contributions and modest commercial revenue to sustain continuous publication.
The American Poetry Review firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The American Poetry Review
- Legal name
- The American Poetry Review
- Website
- https://aprweb.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The American Poetry Review is an independent non-profit literary magazine founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, publishing bimonthly contemporary poetry and criticism to a worldwide audience of poets and readers, supported by subscriptions, donations, shop sales, and three annual literary prizes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The American Poetry Review industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Magazine Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where The American Poetry Review is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The American Poetry Review business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Subscriptions: Bi-monthly print and digital magazine subscriptions sold through SimpleCirc platform.
- Shop Sales: Sale of individual issues, books (including award winners and Friends of APR thank-you gifts), and merchandise through Shopify store.
- Reader Donations: Friends of APR program with tiered giving levels ($100, $250, $500) offering books as thank-you gifts.
- Advertising: Print advertising space sold in the magazine per issue, with advertising schedule provided for reservation and ad due dates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Friends of APR - $100 level |
| Subscription | Annual | Friends of APR - $250 level |
| Subscription | Annual | Friends of APR - $500 level |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The American Poetry Review product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The American Poetry Review publishes a bimonthly literary magazine featuring original poetry, translations, literary criticism, interviews, and essays, in continuous publication since 1972. It sells subscriptions, individual issues, and merchandise through its website, operates annual literary prizes, and produces The APR Podcast featuring conversations with poets.
Product overview
The American Poetry Review is a bimonthly literary magazine that has been publishing poetry and literary criticism since 1972. The organization operates as a fully independent non-profit and offers its content through print and digital subscriptions. Its product portfolio includes the core magazine publication, The APR Podcast featuring poet interviews and readings, the APR/Honickman First Book Prize (awarding $3,000 and publication), the Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize for poets under 40, and the newly established Stern Prize for poets over 50. Additional products include subscription services, an online store powered by Shopify, and submission management through Submittable.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- APR/Honickman First Book Prize: Annual poetry book prize for first books, co-sponsored by APR and Honickman.
- The Stern Prize
- Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize
- The APR Podcast
Products and services
- The American Poetry Review (Bimonthly Magazine) Bimonthly literary magazine publishing original poetry, translations, literary criticism, interviews, and essays; in continuous publication since 1972 with over 6,000 writers published. Targeted at contemporary poets, literary readers, and poetry enthusiasts worldwide.
- The APR Podcast Podcast featuring conversations with poets, readings, and discussions of poetry and literature, produced by RADIOKISMET and hosted by Elizabeth Scanlon and Steven Kleinman. Targeted at poetry readers and literary enthusiasts.
- APR/Honickman First Book Prize Annual poetry book prize awarding $3,000 and publication to a winning first book, with distribution handled by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium. Targeted at emerging poets publishing their first book.
- Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize Annual prize awarding $1,000 and publication of the winning poem in APR to a poet under 40 years of age. Named in honor of Stanley Kunitz's dedication to mentoring younger poets.
- The Stern Prize New annual book prize for poets over 50 years old, awarding publication of the winning poetry collection. Inaugural winner Lynn Melnick for I Deserve This, Thank You.
- Print and Digital Subscription Service Recurring subscription service for print and digital access to the bimonthly magazine, managed through the SimpleCirc platform. Targeted at poetry readers and literary enthusiasts worldwide.
- APR Online Store Online retail platform for individual issues, books (including award winners and Friends of APR thank-you gifts), advertisements, and merchandise, powered by Shopify. Targeted at readers, donors, and literary institutions.
- Friends of APR Donation Program Tiered donor giving program with $100, $250, and $500 levels, offering selected books as thank-you gifts at each tier. Sustains the organization as an independent non-profit.
Quantifiable outcome
- Published work of over 6,000 writers since 1972
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The American Poetry Review
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The American Poetry Review technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The American Poetry Review partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- NY State Summer Writers InstituteminorSponsored partner appearing on APR website, affiliated with Skidmore College's summer writing program.
- Copper Canyon PressminorSponsored partner appearing on APR website; notable poetry press distributing APR/Honickman First Book Prize winners through Consortium.
- Poets HouseminorSponsored partner appearing on APR website; literary organization promoting poetry access.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The American Poetry Review competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tin House: Prestigious literary magazine and book publisher focused on contemporary poetry and fiction. Comparable editorial positioning toward emerging and established literary voices, with parallel subscription and merchandise revenue streams.
- The Paris Review: Quarterly literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, and interviews; comparable to APR in audience overlap (literary readers and writers), prestige-driven brand, and subscription/merchandise revenue model.
- Ploughshares: Long-running literary journal publishing poetry and fiction on a recurring schedule from a nonprofit base (Emerson College). Closely comparable in editorial mix, audience, and nonprofit publishing economics.
- The Kenyon Review: Historic literary magazine publishing contemporary poetry, fiction, and essays. Comparable recurring-schedule nonprofit literary journal model and overlapping audience of poets and poetry readers.
- Fence Magazine / Fence Books: Independent poetry-forward literary magazine and small press publishing experimental and contemporary poetry. Comparable nonprofit/community-led model, niche poetry audience, and combination of magazine + book publishing.
- Poetry Magazine (Poetry Foundation): The most direct comparable: a long-running, prestigious U.S. poetry magazine publishing contemporary poetry and criticism on a recurring schedule for a national/international audience. Operates on a similar subscription + donation funding model via an associated foundation.
Others
- Poetry Foundation: Literary organization that publishes Poetry Magazine and operates PoetryFoundation.org. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but a primary ecosystem participant that both supplies and competes for the same poetry readership and donor base.
- Copper Canyon Press: Major nonprofit poetry book publisher that distributes APR/Honickman First Book Prize and Stern Prize winners through the Consortium. Closely adjacent strategic partner rather than direct competitor, with overlapping mission in contemporary poetry publishing.
Broad incumbents
- The New Yorker: Large general-interest literary magazine that publishes a significant poetry section featuring many of the same contemporary poets as APR. Overlaps in audience for literary poetry but operates at much broader scale with portfolio revenue.
- The Atlantic: Major general-interest magazine that publishes contemporary poetry and literary essays. Overlaps with APR in publishing poetry by established poets and competing for the same literary reader's attention and subscription dollars.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The American Poetry Review social profiles
Digital presenceThe American Poetry Review financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The American Poetry Review leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
The American Poetry Review funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The American Poetry Review M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The American Poetry Review
What does The American Poetry Review do?
The American Poetry Review publishes a bimonthly literary magazine featuring original poetry, translations, literary criticism, interviews, and essays, in continuous publication since 1972. It sells subscriptions, individual issues, and merchandise through its website, operates annual literary prizes, and produces The APR Podcast featuring conversations with poets.
Is The American Poetry Review a public or private company?
The American Poetry Review is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The American Poetry Review founded?
The American Poetry Review was founded in 1972. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The American Poetry Review based?
The American Poetry Review is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does The American Poetry Review make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are shop Sales, reader Donations and advertising.
Who are The American Poetry Review's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tin House, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, The Kenyon Review, Fence Magazine / Fence Books and Poetry Magazine (Poetry Foundation). Others are Poetry Foundation and Copper Canyon Press. Broad incumbents are The New Yorker and The Atlantic.
Does The American Poetry Review have an API?
No public API is recorded for The American Poetry Review.
What industry is The American Poetry Review in?
The American Poetry Review's product category is Literary Magazine Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.