Celebrating 15 years of publishing the finest short-form poems in the world
The latest poems to earn a place in our pages.
Three Line Poetry is a journal devoted to the art of the compressed image — poems that arrive complete in three lines, that hold their breath and say everything in the space of a moment.
We draw on the tradition of the haiku and the senryū, of Bashō and Issa and Buson, and we carry that spirit into the present: contemporary voices, global perspectives, the full weight of human experience in the fewest possible words.
We believe the short poem is not a lesser poem. It is a harder one. We publish the poets who understand that.
Every issue is free to read online — a full gathering of voices from poets around the world. Browse the archive going back to our first issue. No subscription, no paywall.
Browse all issues →We welcome original three-line poems from all writers, anywhere in the world. Read our guidelines, check your line lengths, and send us your best work. We read everything.
Submission guidelines →Each issue is also available in a beautifully printed paperback edition — a physical object made to last. Take the poems off the screen and put them on your shelf.
Shop paperback issues →Publication in Three Line Poetry is earned, not given. With an acceptance rate of just 5.9%, every poem in our pages has survived a rigorous editorial process. Settle in for a reading experience that is unmatched anywhere.