Rattle (magazine)


Rattle is a poetry magazine founded in 1994, published in Los Angeles in the United States. The print magazine is published quarterly, with a poem also published daily through its website, and through its "Daily Poem" email. Rattle receives around 250,000 poetry submissions a year, and publishes around.02%.
It publishes poems both by established writers, such as Philip Levine, Li-Young Lee, Jane Hirshfield, Billy Collins, Sharon Olds, Gregory Orr, Patricia Smith, and Anis Mojgani, and by new and emerging poets. Poems from the magazine have been reprinted in The Best American Poetry and Pushcart Prize anthologies. Rattle does not solicit poems for publication, and instead follow's editor Timothy Green's guidelines of curation over publication. This means that Rattle will consider poems that the poet has shared before on their blog or social media.
Each issue is themed to honor a particular community of poets, such as teachers, slam poets, Los Angeles poets, NFT poets, Musicians, and the Haibun form. Interviews with contemporary poets are also a staple of the quarterly print issue.

The ''Rattlecast''

For over four years, Rattle has broadcast a weekly poetry show, primarily hosted on YouTube, called the Rattlecast. Editor and host Timothy Green typically begins by sharing the Poet's Respond poem of that week, often with the chosen poet reading their own poem live for viewers. Green then bring on the main guest, a poet that has been published by Rattle, for a conversation and a poetry reading from their book. Guests have included Robert Pinsky, Naomi Shihab Nye, Dorianne Laux, Ellen Bass, and Bob Hicok.
The second half of the Rattlecast is known as the "Prompt Lines." Each week, associate editor Katie Dozier joins the live show and shares a poetry prompt.The segment begins with Green and Dozier sharing their own prompt poems before opening it up to the other poets. There is a one page/3-minute max for poets that chose to read a poem. Every month, Dozier selects a prompt poem for publication on Rattle's website.

The ''Critique of the Week''

Rattle also has a weekly free live poetry workshop, hosted by Timothy Green on YouTube. Viewers can submit their own poems, through Submittable, in order to be considered for critique live on air.

The ''Rattle'' Chapbook Prize

The Rattle Chapbook Prize has been awarded annually since 2016. It currently comprises three awards of $5,000, paid to the authors of the best chapbooks submitted. At least one of the awards is bestowed on a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems.
The contest's annual closing date is January 15th, and the winners are announced on April 15th every year. As with the Rattle Poetry Prize, the contest's entry fee is the same as a one-year subscription to the magazine, which includes an annual subscription for entrants.
YearWinners
2016
2017
2018, Nickole Brown, Elizabeth S. Wolf
2019, Christina Olson, Jimmy Pappas
2020, Tom C. Hunley, Jesse Bertron
2021, Amanda Newell, Elizabeth Johnston Ambrose
2022
2023Arthur Russell, Miracle Thornton, George Bilgere
2024Eric Kocher, Denise Duhamel, Kat Lehmann
2025José Enrique Medina, Liz Robbins, Matthew Buckley Smith

The ''Rattle'' Poetry Prize

The Rattle Poetry Prize has been awarded annually since 2006, and now comprises an award of $15,000 to the author of the best single poem submitted, as decided by the magazine's editors. Ten finalists also receive prizes, and one of them receives a Readers' Choice Award of $5,000 which is voted on by the current subscribers.
The entry fee is the same as a one-year subscription to the magazine, which includes an annual subscription for entrants. The annual deadline is on July 15th, with the winner announced on September 15th. Winning poems are published in the magazine's winter issue as well as online.
Rattle Poetry Prize winners:
YearWinning PoetWinning Poem
2024Arthur Russell"Among Other Things"
2023Ardon Shorr"Time Travel for Beginners"
2022L. Renée"Shoes"
2021Ann Giard-Chase“Encephalon”
2020Alison Townsend“Pantoum from the Window of the Room Where I Write”
2019Matthew Dickman"Stroke"
2018Dave Harris"Turbulence"
2017Rayon Lennon"Heard"
2016Julie Price Pinkerton"Veins"
2015Tiana Clark"Equilibrium"
2014Craig van Rooyen"Waiting in Vain"
2013Roberto Ascalon"The Fire This Time"
2012Heidi Shuler"Trials of a Teenage Transvestite's Single Mother"
2011Hayden Saunier"The One and the Other"
2010Patricia Smith"Tavern, Tavern, Church, Shuttered Tavern,"
2009Lynne Knight"To the Young Man Who Cried Out ‘What Were
You Thinking’ When I Backed into His Car"
2008Joseph Fasano"Mahler in New York"
2007Albert Haley"Barcelona"
2006Sophia Rivkin"Conspiracy"

Some of the Rattle Poetry Prize finalists include: Tim Seibles, Roberta Beary, Diana Goetsch, Francesca Bell, George Bilgere, Shannan Mann, Erin Murphy, Mike White, Ron Koertge, Rhina P. Espaillat, Ellen Bass, David Kirby, Wendy Videlock, and Diane Seuss.

Past contributors

Past contributors have included: