Welcome to & Change

a home for gay poetry

Created in the spirit of various poetry journals from the Gay Liberation era — and in honor of the work done by writers and editors like Charley Shively (Good Gay Poets Press & Fag Rag), Larry Mitchell (Calamus Books), Ron Schreiber (Hanging Loose), Winston Leyland (Gay Sunshine Press), Paul Mariah (Manroot), and Andrew Bifrost (Mouth of the Dragon) — & Change is a publisher of poetry by gay men. 

Each issue of & Change costs $3.00—enough to cover the cost of printing, an envelope, and a postage stamp. No more. No less. These poems are delivered to you at cost.

what’s in a name?

The name & Change was selected for three primary reasons:

  1. Issues of & Change are not sold for profit and as such can be purchased with any ‘loose change’ you might have lying around. The journal is intended to remain affordable for all readers while also maintaining a physical footprint. These issues should be passed around, shared, and saved — they are permanent and not ephemeral objects as many digital publications have become.

  2. We view the ampersand as an inherently queer symbol, and while this journal is specifically dedicated to the writing of gay men, we recognize that this community does not exist independently, and cannot exist without the intersectional solidarity and inclusivity of the LGBTQIA+ community. The ampersand is for all of us.

  3. Considering the legacy of the poets and editors mentioned in the statement above, & Change is intended to be a continuation of the work they started decades ago, and also the next step. The poets we publish are representative of the social and political changes that have taken place in the intervening decades, though of course there is always more progress to be made and fought for. Journals like Fag Rag were radical at the time, and in this current political climate, we need more of that energy—we can continue to change the future for ourselves.

& Change is edited by Kevin Bertolero.