Support the Press
We are trying to raise $20,000 by Dec 31st to meet our 2025 annual fundraising goal and we need your help!
“Commitment, attention, striking editorial vision, independent spirit, and aesthetically gorgeous books—these are the qualities that drew me to Black Ocean as a young poet over ten years ago, and they’re the reason Black Ocean continues to build a loyal following and carve out vitally necessary space for poetry, nonfiction, and translation. There is no other publisher quite like them.”
“As a press, Black Ocean devoted an extraordinary amount of time and care to the development of my book—more than I had experienced before or since. Their curiosity and commitment to innovative writing guided me through a challenging process. I am deeply grateful for this level of support, which I believe was instrumental in the book going on to receive both a Whiting Award and a Queer|Art Prize for New Work.”
For nearly two decades, Black Ocean has championed bold, uncompromising voices in contemporary poetry and literature. We've built a community around books that challenge boundaries, create lasting impact, and refuse to play it safe. None of this would be possible without the support of our community—people like you who believe in the power of art to transform lives.
When you give to Black Ocean, you invest in the fissures art creates in consciousness—those brief, electric moments that awaken us to a more vital way of being. Your contribution supports the publication of boundary-pushing poetry and literature from emerging voices just beginning their journey to internationally recognized innovators reshaping what poetry can do.
Use the form on this page to make your one-time contribution. If you would like to make a recurring gift, please visit our Friends of Black Ocean page. Want to make an even greater impact? Join one of our legacy-building Donor Circles today.
Alternative Ways to Give:
If you'd like to give by DAF, family trust, stock, or matching gift program, thank you! Our EIN number is 33-1741586. For more information on how to make your gift, please contact Janaka Stucky at janaka@blackocean.org.
Awards and Accolades
2025 – Biologicity — Shortlisted, Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize
2025 – Just Like — Longlisted, National Translation Award in Poetry
2025 – Just Like — Winner, Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize
2024 – Concealed Words — Shortlisted, Sarah Maguire Prize
2024 – Wail Song — Winner, Minnesota Book Awards
2023 – Cry Perfume — 50 Best Book Covers
2023 – Soliloquy with the Ghosts in Nile — Finalist, Best Poetry of the Year
2023 – Soliloquy with the Ghosts in Nile — Finalist, Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry
2022 – Blackspace — Winner, Whiting Award for Non-Fiction
2022 – Cold Candies — Winner, Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize
2022 – Cry Perfume — Rough Trade’s Top 10 Book of the Year
2021 – Beautiful and Useless — Hyperallergic’s Favorite Poetry Books of the Year
2021 – Blackspace — Art Forum’s Top 10 Book of the Year
2021 – Blackspace — Winner, Queer|Art Prize
2021 – Sense Violence — Finalist, PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
2018 – (v.) — Winner, James W. Ray Distinguished Writers Award
2017 – Lay Ghost — Entropy’s 2017 Required Reading
2016 – I Am A Season That Does Not Exist In The World — Shortlisted, Lucien Stryk Prize
2016 – L'Heure Bleu — 50 Best Book Covers, American Institute of Graphic Arts
2016 – Popular Music — Best Poetry of the Year, Chicago Review of Books
2016 – Popular Music — Shortlisted, Top 10 Poetry Books of the Year, Entropy Magazine
2016 – Popular Music — Shortlisted, Top 10 Poetry Books of the Year, Catapult
2013 – The Self Unstable — Best Book of the Year, New Yorker Magazine
2013 – The Self Unstable — Top 10 Poetry Books of the Year, Coldfront
2010 – Pigafetta Is My Wife — Finalist, Goodreads Book of the Year
2009 – Scary, No Scary — 9 Best Books from Small Publishers, Huffington Post
2007 – Please Stay on the Trail — Finalist, Colorado Book Award
2007 – The Man Suit — 25 Books to Remember, New York Public Library