KNEE BRACE PRESS

A place for stories about chronic illness, disability, mental health, and neurodivergence.

Poetry

Submit your poem to Knee Brace Press! We welcome new voices and veteran poets alike.

Guidelines

All submissions must relate to chronic illness, disability, mental health and/or neurodivergence in some way. What that means is pretty much up to you. If you think your piece covers any of these topics, send it out way!

Our poems

  • An Asian woman with black, shoulder length hair smiles widely at the camera. The background is blurred and seems to be trees.

    Lessons on Anxiety

    In her first poem for Knee Brace Press, Heather Ann Pulido writes about relationships, anxiety, and endings.

  • A Black person with white-rimmed glasses smiles widely with their eyes closed. They are holding their book, DEAR PHILOMENA by Mugabi Byenkya, and are surrounded by a circle of light.

    texting a friend in 2021

    Mugabi Byenkya’s latest poem, texting a friend in 2021, is about recovery, boundaries, and protecting your peace.

  • A white person with short, pink-tinted hair, smiling with her mouth closed at the camera. Her shirt reads, "You'll all float, too" and has the baloons on it from IT by Stephen King. The background is of pine trees.

    Be Your Own Warrior

    From debut poet Bex Houde comes a story of mythology, mental health, and the choices we make to free ourselves.

  • A white person with brown hair, colorful glasses, and purple lipstick wearing a blue shirt.

    The Apocryphal Horseman

    Finding someone with shared experiences is everything. In their new poem, The Apocryphal Horseman, Elise Scott writes about their relationship with their friend, April.

  • A Black person with white-rimmed glasses smiles widely with their eyes closed. They are holding their book, DEAR PHILOMENA by Mugabi Byenkya, and are surrounded by a circle of light.

    Hopelessly Romantic

    Hopelessly Romantic is a disabled love poem set during the pandemic by award winning author Mugabi Byenkya.

  • A white woman with short hair wears round glasses and a black sweater. She gazes at the camera. The photo is in black and white.

    Spoons

    “I woke up/faced with my limitations/A body yesterday/so tired it physically was done.” In her third poem for Knee Brace Press, Amba Elieff writes about spoon theory, fatigue, and learning to understand her body’s limitations.

  • A white person with dark hair and brown eyes gazes at the camera. She wears a dark gray T-shirt. The background is red brick.

    Fishbowl

    Fishbowl is a poem about feeling alone, even when the speaker is surrounded by people.

  • A person with long, brown hair, bangs, and black rimmed glasses hides half their face behind a black and brown cat with blue eyes.

    Untitled #1

    “And yet sometimes, I feel cold./There’s a deep void in my chest/No matter how much I try, it remains bare.” In this poem, AM Rodriguez details what it’s like to struggle with depression and grief, even when the rest of the world appears full of light.

  • A white woman with short, brown hair in braids smiles at the camera with her mouth closed. She wears circular black glasses and an orange sweatshirt. The background is white.

    I haven’t been sleeping well

    “I remember what I told myself I’d eat for breakfast the day before/And then remember it’s still sitting right where I left it/Next to my unfinished coffee and my empty day planner.” Poet Emily Brandt details what it’s like to be in the middle of a depressive episode, when sleep alludes even the most exhausted…

  • A white woman with short hair wears round glasses and a black sweater. She gazes at the camera. The photo is in black and white.

    Vertigo

    In her poem Vertigo, author and poet Amba Elieff captures the dizzying horror that is having your world flipped upside-down mid step and what it means to push through it like nothing happened.