About US Dirt
A Magazine
for the Living
US Dirt is the only magazine in the country dedicated entirely to the death poem as practiced by those living in, or from, the United States — one poem per person, for as long as they live.
At a glance
Founded
2026
Published
Twice yearly — Spring & Fall
Acceptance
Universal. Every poem published.
Cost to read
Current issue is always free
Languages
Any language accepted
The Editors
Issue I  ·  Spring 2026
Editor in Chief
First Last
Placeholder bio. Poet, editor, and founder of US Dirt. Based in [City, State]. Previous work in [publications or background].
Managing Editor
First Last
Placeholder bio. Manages submissions, production, and correspondence. Based in [City, State]. Background in [field or publications].
Poetry Editor
First Last
Placeholder bio. Oversees the reading process and works with translators. Based in [City, State]. Author of [books or credits].
The Mission
Published twice yearly
Spring & Fall
 
Universal acceptance
One poem, per person,
per lifetime
 
Current issue is always free
Why We Exist
What Is US Dirt
The death poem is one of the oldest poetic forms — a final statement written in contemplation of mortality. Rooted in the literary traditions of East Asia and refined over centuries in Japan, it asks the poet to face the end with clarity, wit, or silence.
"US Dirt is the only magazine in the country dedicated entirely to this form as practiced by those living in, or from, the United States."
We believe a distinctly American tradition is emerging — shaped by this country's landscapes, languages, and ways of dying — and we exist to document it. Every poet who submits is published. We do not edit. We do not reject. One poem per person, per lifetime.
The archive grows with every issue. In ten years, in fifty years, these poems will be a record of how Americans in the early 21st century faced their own ends. That record is the reason we started. It is the reason we continue.
What Is a
Death Poem
A death poem is a short poem — sometimes a single image, sometimes a short meditation — written in the awareness of one's own mortality. Not a eulogy. Not a poem about grief. Your own reckoning, in your own language, from wherever you are in your life.
The form is ancient. It has been practiced for over a thousand years in China, Japan, and Korea, where poets often composed their final poems on their deathbeds or in the shadow of battle. What US Dirt documents is what happens when that tradition crosses the American landscape.
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No fixed length A death poem can be four lines or forty. A haiku or a prose poem. What matters is that it confronts something true.
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No fixed subject Many death poems barely mention death at all. They notice a bird, a season, a hand. The awareness is in the looking.
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No required expertise We accept poems from lifelong poets and from people who have never written a poem before. Both belong here.
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One per lifetime You can only submit once. Take your time. But don't wait for the poem to be finished — it never will be.
Masthead  ·  Issue I  ·  Spring 2026
Editor in Chief
First Last
Web & Design
First Last
Founded
2026
Get in Touch
Contact &
Press
For general questions, press inquiries, or anything else, reach us by email. We read everything. Response time is typically one to two weeks.
Email editors@usdirt.com
Press & Media
For press inquiries, interview requests, and review copies, contact press@usdirt.com
Submissions
To submit a poem, use the submissions form. We do not accept submissions by email.
Rights & Permissions
All poems remain the property of their authors. For reprint permissions, contact the poet directly.
Print Edition
US Dirt is currently digital only. A limited print edition is planned for Issue II.
Read the Latest Farewells
New issues by email. Nothing else.