JLRB Press

JLRB Press is a small-run imprint that specializes in poetry, with a strong emphasis on queer and neuro­divergent voices and emerging writers. We've been an IBPA member since 2023. Our imprint came into being when we could not longer deny how difficult and expensive, how impossible it has become for a poet to get a work into print (let alone a first collection—the foot in the door). We know how discouraging it can be to receive form letters that begin with “Unfortunately, we can't place your work in our catalogue...” but never explain why or how we might've missed the mark. We know what it is like to feel frustrated, disappointed, dispirited, to lose courage as the written word flees... For these reasons—and many others— • We take down barriers to publishing creative works of poetry. • We seek out verse that pays attention to rhythm and sound and pushes the boundaries of the familiar. • We guide beginning authors through self-empowering challenges and solutions • We offer professional press services to those who might require them. JLRB Press is located in Nanaimo, Canada on the tradition­al and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.