​​The American Poetry Journal (APJ) was founded in 2004 by Editor Emeritus J.P. Dancing Bear and as of April 21, 2025, will be run by Theresa Senato Edwards, owner, publisher, and editor in chief. Michelle Whittaker is APJ's poetry editor. Han Raschka and Kyla Sterling are APJ's poetry readers.

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Publishing schedule: Open submissions, June 1-June 30, for consideration in APJ's October online issue. December 1-December 31,

for consideration in APJ's April online issue.

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​​APJ strives to publish poems we cannot shake off because they’re unique; they’re intestinal; they’re honest; they progress, leave us deep rooted and committed. We look for distinctiveness, want bold metaphors, sonics like we’ve never heard before, a shared purpose in the unfolding of the poem. We want poems that question humanity and engage us in contemporary as well as age-old concepts, but we’d love a dreamscape with imagery that leaves us questioning ourselves. Challenge us without pretentiousness and show us craft woven/broken/spun/sifted through glass—the unimaginable, the courageous, the sublime. 

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APJ has published work from diverse backgrounds and orientations, from new and established voices that include Dorianne Laux, Terrance Hayes, Wendy Xu, Jeffrey Levine, Faylita Hicks, Philip Metres, Chelsea Dingman, Jessica Cuello, Jill Alexander Essbaum, Kelli Russell Agodon, Martha Silano, Joseph Fasano, and many others.