Black Ocean is an award-winning independent publisher based in Boston and Chicago.

Our Mission:  Black Ocean exists to foster a community where innovative voices in contemporary poetry and literature can thrive, offering access to boundary-pushing, transformative works that challenge conventional narratives. As a nonprofit, Black Ocean seeks to uplift underrepresented authors and create a platform for meaningful literary engagement that resonates with readers around the world.

Our Vision: Drawing inspiration from early silent films to early punk rock, we bring together a spectrum of influences to produce books of exceptional quality and vision. Beyond publishing, we extend our aesthetic into the world through gatherings and celebrations across the country.

We believe in the fissures art creates in consciousness—those brief, electric moments that awaken us to a more vital way of being. Through them, we seek deeper, more expansive modes of existence and invite others to do the same.

Through our books, programs,, and events we amplify the voices of artists we believe in, sharing their work with a global audience in the hopes of sparking something lasting and luminous.

Join us: This is not a solitary pursuit. Your support makes it possible for us to continue championing vital artists and producing transformative work that resonates far beyond the page. Donate today and become part of the movement shaping a more enlightened, creative future.