Media Kit
About Dara Laine
Dara Laine (she/her) is a Baltimore-based poet originally from a hay farm in Monmouth County, New Jersey, near the Jersey Shore. Her work explores grief, memory, and the sacred ordinary through restrained lyricism and domestic realism. Her poems examine how loss reshapes ordinary objects, seasons, and rituals, often using silence and small details as sites of meaning. She is the winner of the 2026 Bellevue Literary Review John & Eileen Allman Prize for Poetry for her prose poem “Telling the Bees,” forthcoming in BLR’s Spring 2026 issue.
Her poems appear or are forthcoming in American Poetry Journal, Pine Hills Review, Sky Island Journal, and LEON Literary Review, among others. Laine earned her BA from Drew University and her MPP from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has lived in Baltimore since 2010.
Notable Recognition
Winner of the 2026 John & Eileen Allman Prize for Poetry from Bellevue Literary Review for her poem “Telling the Bees”
Alumni of Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (July 2025)
Featured early in her career by the Belmar Arts Council and member of the Coffee Blue Collective
Author-Approved Bios
One sentence
Dara Laine, winner of the 2026 BLR Allman Prize for Poetry, is a Baltimore-based poet whose grief-driven lyric work draws from rural childhood, domestic ritual, and the sacred ordinary.
50-word
Dara Laine is a Baltimore-based poet, originally from Central New Jersey. Her work explores memory and the sacred ordinary through restrained lyricism and domestic realism. She is the winner of the 2026 BLR Allman Prize for Poetry. Her poems appear in American Poetry Journal and Pine Hills Review, among others.
100-word
Dara Laine is a Baltimore-based poet whose work explores grief, ritual, memory, and the sacred ordinary. Raised on a hay farm in New Jersey, she writes from domestic and rural landscapes with a focus on spare, emotionally precise lyricism. She is the winner of the 2026 Bellevue Literary Review John & Eileen Allman Prize for Poetry. In addition to BLR, her work appears or is forthcoming in American Poetry Journal, Westchester Review, Pine Hills Review, and LEON Literary Review, among others. She holds a BA from Drew University and an MPP from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read more: www.daralaine.com.
Selected Publications
Bellevue Literary Review, “Telling the Bees” (Allman Prize Winner, 2026, forthcoming)
Pine Hills Review, “Claire’s 1997, 2003, 2025”
American Poetry Journal, “888,” “Before it Breaks,” and “Something Stood”
Sky Island Journal, “After the Kiln”
Audio Recordings
Listen to Dara Laine read a selection of her published poems, including
Claire’s 1997, 2003, 2025
888 (Return in the Ordinary)
Before It Breaks
Something Stood
To listen, click the link (button) below.
Approved-Author Photos
Preferred Headshot (above)
Photo credit: Tina Leu Photography
Alt Text: A black-and-white portrait of poet Dara Laine sitting at a table, wearing a black ribbed turtleneck. She has shoulder-length wavy hair and a calm, direct expression. A soft gray backdrop creates even, understated lighting.
Visual Description (for accessibility statements): A woman with shoulder-length wavy hair sits at a table facing the camera. She wears a textured black turtleneck. Her hands rest gently in front of her. She has light skin, expressive eyes, and a quiet, steady expression. The background is soft gray with even lighting.
Color Headshot Alternative (above)
Photo credit: Sarah Adler (Mother & Wild)
Alt text: A color portrait of poet Dara Laine standing outdoors in soft natural light, wearing an olive-green jacket over a black top. She faces the camera with a gentle, confident expression, dark curls framing her face.
Visual Description (for accessibility statements): A woman stands slightly angled toward the camera in an olive-green jacket over a black shirt. Her dark, curly hair falls around her shoulders. She wears thin-frame glasses and subtle makeup. The background is softly blurred greenery and warm afternoon light, creating a calm, natural atmosphere. Her expression is warm and composed.
Get in touch.
For press inquiries, events, interviews, permissions, readings, or publication requests, please use the contact form to the right or go to daralaine.com/contact.
Download Press Release
Baltimore-based Poet Wins National Bellevue Literary Review 2026 John & Eileen Allman Prize for Poetry
Bellevue Literary Review release: https://blreview.org/news/recent-news/announcing-the-2026-blr-prizewinners/