About AHP
Our Mission
Animal Heart Press was born out of a desire to make a difference in the world of poetry. The press is fiercely feminist, and we’re interested in lifting up feminist voices, and those who support them. AHP doesn’t care if you have an MFA, or if you didn’t finish high school – if you’re a good poet, that’s what counts. We love seeing people who do the work – who take on feedback, read widely, and make a serious attempt to better their writing. These are our kind of people.
We’re extremely author focused. We work very closely with all our authors and everyone we publish has a unique experience, shaped around their book and the kind of work they’re interested in doing to promote it (that part is kind of a two way street). We pay good royalties on our standard publishing contracts.
At the core of everything AHP is love. We’re about solid, honest, reciprocal relationships with our authors and our community. We’d love you to be a part of it.
Meet Our Team
Elisabeth Horan – Founding Editor
Elisabeth Horan is an imperfect creature from Vermont advocating for animals, children and those suffering alone and in pain – especially those ostracized by disability and mental illness. Elisabeth is the Founding Editor of Animal Heart Press.
Follow her on Twitter @ehoranpoet or connect on her website ehoranpoet.com
Amanda McLeod – Managing Editor
Amanda McLeod is an Australian author and artist, with a penchant for wild places and quiet. Her work has appeared in many places both in print and online, and she is the author of Animal Behaviour (2nd ed, Riverdeep Press, 2025) and Heartbreak Autopsy (Animal Heart Press, 2021) .She is the managing editor of Animal Heart Press, and designs the literary magazine FERAL: A Journal of Poetry and Art.
Follow her on socials @AmandaMWrites
Beth Gordon – Managing Editor
Beth Gordon is a poet, mother and grandmother in Asheville, NC. She is the author of five chapbooks, most recently The First Day (Belle Point Press); and one full length collection, This Small Machine of Prayer (Kelsay Books). Her second full-length collection, Alchemist or Arsonist, is forthcoming from Acre Books in 2027. Beth is Managing Editor of Feral: A Journal of Poetry and Art, Co-Managing Editor and Logistics Manager of Animal Heart Press, and Grandma of Femme Salve Books. Instagram, Threads and BlueSky @bethgordonpoet.
Jude Marr – Managing Editor
Jude Marr is a Pushcart-nominated trans poet and editor. His poetry has appeared in many journals and anthologies and his full-length collection, We Know Each Other By Our Wounds was published by Animal Heart Press in 2020. Jude’s next chapbook, Silence Will Not Save Us is forthcoming from The Broken Spine in November, 2027. He now lives in Portugal.