A platform built for poets
Stanza is a social platform made specifically for poets and spoken word artists. On most networks, poetry has to squeeze into a format built for photos, jokes and news. On Stanza, every part of the app starts from one question: what does a poem, and the person who wrote it, actually need?
Whether you write sonnets, free verse or haiku, or you perform your work out loud, Stanza gives you tools to write, share, read and respond, alongside a community that cares about the craft.
What you can do here
- Write and record: a composer for written poems and a studio for spoken word, with control over how each piece looks: background, font, colours and an optional soundtrack.
- Read on the Stage: your home feed, with tabs for For You, Explore, Following, Trending, Inner Circles and Organizations.
- Respond with nuance: three reactions instead of a single like. Cheer is everyday applause, Encore is a scarce standing ovation (8 a month, 15 with Pro), and Tomato is an honest "this didn't land for me".
- Write back: replies are letters to the poet, and margin notes let you respond to a single line.
- Give real feedback: structured critiques score a poem across craft dimensions such as Imagery, Meter and Voice.
- Gather and curate: save poems privately, or build lists of poems, poets, episodes and more to share.
- Find your people: Inner Circles are private groups for workshops, reading groups and writing communities.
- Wear more than one hat: up to three profiles (personas) on one account.
- Choose your audience: each poem can be Public, Followers, Friends, a circle (Groups) or Private.
- Search by meaning: search finds poems by keyword and also by what they are about, marking results that are "Close in meaning".
You decide who sees what
Privacy is part of the design rather than an afterthought. Every poem has its own audience. You choose who can see that a reaction or a follow was yours, and saves are always private. You can see your activity the way other people see it before you change anything.
Free to use
Stanza is free to use. Ads help keep it that way, and Stanza Pro removes them, adds more Encores and unlocks deeper analytics. Poems on the Stage are chosen for you, not tuned to provoke you. Your reading and reactions shape what you see.
New here? Start with "Creating Your Account", then "Your First Poem". You'll be publishing within minutes.