Meet Our Grantee-Partner: Ugly Duckling Presse

Mission: Ugly Duckling Presse is a collectively-run, nonprofit publisher of poetry, translation, experimental prose, performance texts, and books by artists. As a literary arts organization, Ugly Duckling Presse supports the vitality of literary production in New York City and beyond by publishing and promoting innovative writing, advocating for and teaching small press practices via free/low-cost letterpress and writing workshops, enhancing access to literature through public readings and community programming, and introducing readers to the work of under-represented, emerging, international, and “forgotten” authors and translators.

In the 1990s, an informal group of writers, artists, and performers came together through a shared commitment to “art free from expectation, coercion, and utility.” This ethos animated their work to develop an alternative literary ecosystem, printing books on university Xerox machines and letterpress printing in apartment kitchens in New York City. In 2003, Ugly Duckling Presse (UDP) incorporated as a collectively-run independent press, print shop, and literary arts nonprofit.

In 2007, UDP moved into studio space in the Old American Can Factory, a restored warehouse in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The location made it possible for UDP to host in-person creative writing classes, bookmaking and printing workshops, and readings. Each year, UDP books reach more than 30,000 readers in the United States and abroad, and its programming engages a local audience of 2,500 to 3,000 that includes readers of all ages from multilingual and immigrant backgrounds, artistic communities, and local college students.

UDP’s part-time staff of four works closely with a volunteer editorial collective, apprentices, interns, and board of working poets, writers, and artists. Together, they oversee UDP’s programming, production, distribution, communications, and development. With different thematic, formal, and translation focuses, UDP’s leaders cross-pollinate audiences across poetry and the literary arts within New York City and beyond. 

UDP publishes 14–18 books annually, selecting innovative works by underrepresented, emerging, international, and forgotten authors with attention to merit rather than commercial viability. UDP works closely with its authors and translators through every stage of the editorial, production, and promotion processes. Books are designed collaboratively, often containing handmade and letterpress elements created in UDP’s Gowanus studio. 

By resurfacing and contextualizing poetry from the past, UDP invigorates the poetry made today and tomorrow, helping poets find lineages and connections that can fuel their own work. Recovering canonically forgotten writers, especially women and nonwhite experimental thinkers; publishing literature in translation; and providing a platform for underrepresented, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ emerging poets is at the core of UDP’s editorial and programmatic missions.

In 2025, UDP held readings at local independent bookstores, libraries, Artists Space, Poets House, Poetry Project, and Queens College. UDP Studio Parties correspond to the releases of its fall and spring catalogues, creating opportunities for established and emerging poets to connect and share their work. In 2025, UDP’s editorial collective also presented 57 events beyond New York City, including readings in Berlin, Brussels, Leipzig, Paris, Philadelphia, and Toronto. 

UDP regularly welcomes visits to its studio, hosting classes of students from several colleges and universities. Presse Days, which UDP has been hosting for more than 20 years, are an open invitation to the community to visit the UDP studio. While supporting UDP’s production process, Presse Days participants learn bookbinding and handwork in artist’s books. Many have gone on to deepen their involvement as editors, staff members, or authors. UDP expanded these efforts in 2026 to host four seasons of creative writing and bookmaking classes instructed primarily by recent UDP authors. All workshops and seminars are offered for free or low-cost, and 80% of the profits go directly to the instructors. 

Lastly, UDP expands public access to poetry and small press publications by donating its titles. In 2025, UDP contributed 1,083 books to community organizations, including the Bard Prison Initiative, Books Behind Bars, Housing Works, and the Poulin Project. 

Receiving a general operating support grant from the Poetry Foundation has allowed UDP to continue publishing work with attention to merit and innovation rather than profitability. Despite a precarious funding landscape coupled with the loss of federal grants, support from the Poetry Foundation has covered the basic costs of operation, such as employee salaries, rent, and insurance, and allowed UDP to focus on serving the poetry community by sustaining and growing its publishing, education, and community-focused programming. 

Connect with Ugly Duckling Presse:

• Website
• Instagram