What we’re about

Drunk Muse Press was founded in late 2020 by Neil Young and Hugh McMillan, based in Scotland, and Jessamine O' Connor in Ireland. Julie McNeill joined us as an editor in November 2023. Our purpose is to champion poetry that insists on wider attention  . . . by poets with a compelling way of expressing it. We aim to publish seven-eight new titles each year, a mixture of debut publications by emerging poets and new volumes by poets who catch our eye either here in Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, or internationally. Currently, we publish books in two formats - around 50 pages and 80 pages. We're not prescriptive as to theme, form or style and always strive to work closely with our poets. 

Our publishing schedule runs from February-mid-September each year. In publishing terms, we go into hiatus from September-February so that the editors can concentrate on their own writings. We also use this time to restock our catalogue and promote our existing line-up of poets and books. 

A note on pre-orders: pre-orders are vital to helping us to cover upfront print and publication costs. Drunk Muse Press is run by poets for poets and we do this for love, not money, with the proceeds from each new book financing the next . Resources are tight, so we express our appreciation and thanks to all who pre-order our books - in doing so you are helping us to get the work of some of the best contemporary poets out there in the world.