Bee Monk Press LLC is an independent poetry publishing hive in New Hampshire founded by Mike Nelson, professionally editing, printing, and distributing books and zines for the love of poetry and the community of poets of New England and beyond. There’s poetry to buy, but all the Good Fat poetry as well as other books are free to read online.

“I started this project ten years ago as a way to publish my own work. It’s extremely difficult for poets to get published and the whole process can be frustrating and a bit demoralizing. I find that most poets don’t care about fame and fortune, they just want to have a book they can be proud of and share with their family, friends and the community. Over the years I’ve learned how to make this prospect very easy and obtainable. With the advent of on-demand publishing we can completely by-pass the high cost, financially and emotionally, of the traditional publishing and printing route, make as many or as few books as you want, and have it available online for free to a global market.

Why Bee Monk? 75% of bees are solitary and don’t live in hives, but these bee monks are just as necessary to the ecosystem. I like to think of poets as being like these solitary bees doing their writing by themselves, but also with a need to connect and share their work with all the other bees and pollinators. Like with Hive Poetry Project, Bee Monk Press is a way to extend the opportunity to Listen and Be Heard!” Mike