The Poetry Vessel is a multimedia poetry project and podcast created by poet and former Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall and his wife, Rachael. Together, they publish videos, interviews, and craft-focused conversations that explore poetry as a living, transformative art form. They are always open for poetry submissions for their ongoing video/magazine–style episodes, where selected poems are read aloud, visually interpreted, and used as catalysts for deep discussion. For more information, see my interview with Hassall below, along with a link to their submission guidelines.

HOPKINSON: How/why was The Poetry Vessel originally started?

HASSALL: The Poetry Vessel grew out of my tenure as Malibu Poet Laureate, where I experienced firsthand the importance of cultivating a thriving poetry community. At that time, I was hosting poetry workshops and readings at our local library, featuring and conducting live interviews with award-winning poets from across the country, including former city, state, and U.S. Poet Laureates, and performing poems at various cultural events — including reading a poem to U.S. Veterans at a filled-to-capacity City Hall in Malibu on Veteran’s Day in 2023 and 2024.

My wife, Rachael, attended every event, recording these special performances and sharing them on YouTube. Little did we know those humble recordings would be the catalyst for what became The Poetry Vessel.

In forming the company, we wanted to create a space not only to share poems and readings from fellow poets, but to provide education about the art, philosophy, and craft of poetry — and to honor what we see as the alchemical nature of language itself. Taking inspiration from alchemy’s chrysopoeia, or gold-making, we thought the “vessel” was an apt metaphor: a container where positive change — the move from base metals to gold — can occur: emotionally, metaphorically, spiritually, and, of course, poetically. 

Today, we continue to invite poets, artists, authors, and fellow language-inspired alchemists from across the world into a shared poetic dialogue. Ultimately, ours is a story of invitation — The Poetry Vessel exists to ensure that rigorous poetry education and deep craft remain accessible to anyone, anywhere, who is ready to engage.

HOPKINSON: Who is your target audience?

HASSALL: Deep thinkers. Poetry lovers. People who fundamentally believe in free speech and expression, who value communication, the arts, knowledge, and wisdom — the open-minded who seek enchantment, beauty, and a deeper connection with the natural world. That vision may be idealistic, but it is the very thing that compels us to reach as high as we do. Without it, we would settle. Poetry teaches us not to settle.

HOPKINSON: Can you tell us more about The Poetry Vessel Podcast and what listeners can expect?

HASSALL: At its core, The Poetry Vessel is about poetic dialogue, where speech can become a spontaneous poem. We often return to the etymology of the word poetry: poesis, or “a making.” Everything we create grows from that root.

The show takes several forms. About once a month, we dedicate an episode to featuring poetry submitted by our audience. In this way, The Poetry Vessel has also become a living video magazine. Rachael and I read the work aloud together, pair it with a unique video that reflects its atmosphere, and then allow the poem to guide our conversation. During these episodes, we also pull surprise submissions from “The Mystery Box,” which fans of the show know as Francis B. Malloy. You’ll have to tune in to find out why!

In other episodes, I sit down with a diverse range of guests — award-winning poets, psychologists, occult authors, musicians, and more — people who demonstrate that poetry can be part of the conversation in any discipline.

Beyond these conversations, we dedicate episodes to helping listeners improve their poetry, discussing the philosophy of poetry, and releasing other poetry-inspired videos. 

We release new videos weekly on our YouTube channel, The Poetry Vessel with Nathan Hassall.

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for in submissions?

HASSALL: Work that sparks conversation. When Rachael and I record an episode, it’s just the two of us alone together in a room. Because these recording sessions are so intimate, we’re looking for poetry that pushes us out of our comfort zones and into conversations we’ve never had before. Our philosophy is this: if a poem makes us see the world differently, it may well do the same for our listeners.

Since we create videos unique to each poem, we’re drawn to poetry open to visual interpretation — work that burns with urgency, where words sing beyond the poet, whose language is surprising, sticky, reverent, transcendent, strange — or anything that inverts these expectations and expands our knowledge of what poetry can do.

So far, featured submissions have come in many forms. We love ecopoetry that deepens our connection with the natural world, as well as spiritual poetry that’s sensorily rich, and phenomenological work that engages with the world around us in surprising and novel ways. We are averse to the cliché, the predictable, the already-said. Poetry is communication — and we are most interested in work that communicates depth, that quivers the marrow in our bones.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?

HASSALL: Haiku and associated forms like monoku, tanka, and senryu. We’d love to see more of those.

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of running The Poetry Vessel?

HASSALL: As we’re still a two-person team, I love experiencing how my relationship with Rachael continues to deepen through poetry. Rachael has a background in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, so she keeps my life and the business running smoothly. Creating with her in The Poetry Vessel is definitely my favorite part. 

One of the other reasons I wanted to start accepting submissions was to learn more about contemporary poetry — to develop my understanding of the themes and currents running through the art, and to see who swims with those currents and who stands uniquely outside of them. Most of all, getting to celebrate poets and poems that open new spaces in me — and hearing from listeners who feel similarly — fills me with delight.

HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?

HASSALL: Through our submissions portal at thepoetryvessel.com/submit

HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?

HASSALL: Through our email, info[at]thepoetryvessel[dot]com

HOPKINSON: Is there anything exciting coming up you’d like to mention?

HASSALL: At a time when algorithms threaten to mediate our every experience, we believe the kind of deep human connection offered by poetry is more vital than ever. Soon, I will be hosting workshops where fellow word lovers can sit, write, and — who knows — transform with me. The Poetry Vessel will continue to platform poets from all across the globe and to create a space where the art thrives visually and on the breath.

To join our mailing list and stay up to date with upcoming poetry writing workshops, new videos, and more, visit thepoetryvessel.com/signup.

Click here to read submission guidelines.

• SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Always open.
• THEME(S): All things poetry that you think would make for a good and deep discussion. We also run special themed episodes (like Valentine’s Day and Halloween episodes) and announce them via email and our social channels. 
• FORMAT: We take submissions in PDF or Word doc via our online submission form. Please only submit one document containing your poetry submissions. 
• SUBMISSION FEE: None, optional contribution.
• PAYMENT: None, though we do make videos for our featured poets and promote our authors widely. 
• PODCAST FREQUENCY: Our podcast episodes, where we feature submitted poems, vary, though we typically release one a month. 
• RESPONSES: As we are still a small team, we currently only respond to acceptances. This may change in the future.  
• SUBMISSION METHOD: Through The Poetry Vessel Website: http://www.thepoetryvessel.com/submit
• SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes, as long as we are notified if published. We want to celebrate your successes with you.
• PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED POEMS: Accepted
• FORMS: Poetry
• LISTINGS: Duotrope
• SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram, YouTube

If you like this post, please share with your writerly friends and/or  follow me on Facebook, Blue Sky, or Instagram. You can see all the FREE resources my site offers poets/writers on my Start Here page.