About House of Poetry
House of Poetry is a student-run non-profit literary magazine based in New York City. Our mission is to provide a platform for aspiring writers, especially those who are marginalized and homeless, to share their work and have their voices heard. Our team is dedicated to fostering a supportive community of writers and readers, and promoting a diverse range of perspectives and experiences. We accept works by all writers regardless of age, background, or expertise.
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We believe at the House of Poetry that everybody has a unique perspective to offer—whether they be a 7-year-old, or an 80-year-old, no piece is the same.
We greatly encourage readers to envision
themselves as the author while they read.
We are not looking for future Pulitzer Prize winners; we are simply looking for new writing, which is to say, all writing!
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My Story
Get to Know the Founder
Hello! My name is Brian Chan, the founder of House of Poetry. Before I introduce my organization, however, let me introduce myself!
I'm a native New Yorker currently entering my junior year of high school. Since starting my freshman year, My passion has been geared towards helping marginalized groups, whether they be groups who look like me—Chinese—or those who don't. Specifically, I believe in helping those economically marginalized, such as the homeless. On the other hand, since starting life itself, I've had a passion for writing. My own voice is influenced by a wide set of writers (and not necessarily just authors of books!): Toni Morrison, Natalie Diaz, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Ocean Vuong, and many, many others. I spend most of my time scribbling or typing away in an effort to draw both prose and poetry from my mind. House of Poetry is the product of both my passions: helping the marginalized, and writing. During the (minimal) time I have when I'm not working in and out of school, writing, or running House of Poetry, you can find me in Staten Island's orchestra playing the bassoon or in the gym, hitting a birdie back and forth with a badminton racket!
Throughout elementary, middle, and now high school, writing has always been an obsession of mine, whether I was writing for school or for myself. Before, however, I only shared my work with myself—occasionally my classmates or my teacher. What has once been a private passion then, I want to now make available to all.