ABOUT THE PRESS

Nervous Ghost Press was inspired by a group of writers and artists (the Citizen Poets) that all share one belief: writing saves lives. 

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Our Vision

All people deserve to experience the beauty and power of the arts.

Our Mission

Nervous Ghost Press is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit independent publisher committed to publishing quality work regardless of race, age, gender, sexuality, or education. We believe that writing has the power to save lives—we've witnessed it. Art and trauma, the human experience, and our ability to gather those things and create something powerful is what we live for. Writing transcends our identities and brings strangers together, silences hate, and proves that we can create beauty from the ugly and the scary. Nervous Ghost Press promotes writing from the heart, we advocate for our communities, and we will always strive to be a champion for positivity, growth, and lasting change. We stand unapologetically against all hate and injustice and will never silence or demonize anyone on the basis of their beliefs, origins, or identities.

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Through literary excellence, music, education, art, and media, Nervous Ghost Press exists to bring all of our immediate and extended communities together. We're looking for poems and stories that were written to save the life of the writer; raw, unadulterated, fearless. We seek established and emerging voices and hope to become a place to inspire, motivate, and provide a platform for otherwise marginalized people. Nervous Ghost Press was created in 2019 by the community, for the community.

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Nervous Ghost Press exists to make art accessible to those who need it most.​

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The Nervous Ghost Press Story

​Nervous Ghost Press began with one fundamental belief: Writing saves lives. Over time, we have expanded our belief to include all art (conventional and unconventional). We know what it feels like to be unable to speak, to be ridiculed, and excluded. We remember the moment we found our voice, yet we still carry the weight of silence with us every day. But the silence is not a weakness. Born from those moments were our words; our strength. For every child too afraid to speak, we are with you. For every person hiding under desks behind tears, we see you, we hear you. The shadows were where we thought we belonged, and silence was where we placed our value. The fear and uncertainty gnawed at our bones, but we are still here. We remember the shakes, the unrelenting shakes.

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Nervous Ghost Press stands for the voiceless. We stand for those who write to survive because without art, we wouldn’t have. We’ve been excluded based on skin color, beliefs, and identities. We’ve voiced concerns and were told to “start your own business.” So we did. Nervous Ghost Press exists for the arts and the artists. For the community. For the lost—for the ghosts. We are not alone, we are not weak, and our voices carry strength. All are welcome. All who feel abandoned, who feel neglected or unseen, we see you. We hear you. Welcome to the family.

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We all have a nervous ghost inside us, it's time to let 'em out.

Publisher, CEO