Kaleigh Johnson

If you’re a book nerd like me (if you’re reading this blog, you probably are), you dream of stepping into your favorite fictional worlds in one way or another. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to do that without leaving this realm. Check out some of my favorite literary locations across North Carolina below!

From coastal towns to mountain cities, indie presses are shaping the literary landscape with a deep love for the written word. Below, you’ll find a curated list of North Carolina’s small and independent (indie) presses, each one a testament to what can happen when passion meets the page.

Poetry has never been a one-size-fits-all art form. It stretches, bends, borrows, and reinvents itself, sometimes quietly and sometimes with a sense of rebellion. Beyond the sonnets and free verse many of us are well-acquainted with, there is a wide world of poetic forms that invite play, experimentation, and risk. Let’s explore 22 unique types of poems that move past the familiar and remind us why poetry remains one of the most inventive corners of the literary world.