The magazine, which sees itself as "literary forum for poetry, fiction, prose, essays, interviews and photography", has a dual-city editorial staff in Philadelphia and New York.

PBQ has featured works by such poets as Charles Bukowski, Etheridge Knight, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Dede Wilson, Simon Perchik, Yusef Komunyakaa, Gregory Pardlo, and Major Jackson, among others.

In 1969, Gerry Givnish and a group of his artist friends founded a gallery space on Philadelphia's South Street in an old bridal shop.

For a few months prior to the event, books were donated by members of the Drexel community, and then sold with all proceeds going to Philadelphia Reads.

PBQ has had many of its first-published poems chosen for Pushcart Prizes, on Poetry Daily, and other accolades, such as inclusion in Online Writing: The Best of the First Ten Years.