In the past, I have created such lists as all the Small, Independent, and University Press Poetry Book Publishers (which was up-to-date as of 3-6-10 with 687 presses) and all the Journals with “Review” in Their Title, Who Accept Poetry, and Who Have a Website (which was up-to-date as of 2-29-12 with 344 journals.) The first lists I made were Poetry Book Contests with Spring & Summer Deadlines, Poetry Book Contests with Fall & Winter Deadlines (scroll down), and Poetry Chapbook Contests (scroll down).
Now, it’s time to start a new list, and I’ll keep it here and I’ll update it as I can. Currently, these are the only ones I remember or that other kind people have reminded me of. The list will grow, and if you know of any open readings, please note them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list. I’m trying to limit this list to free readings, but I’ve listed a few that charge a reading fee.
All the Time Open Readings (last updated 6-7-20.)
- 8th House Publishing (Begin with sample and query letter)
- 11:11 Press
- A15 Publishing (Veterans)
- A.B. Baird Publishing (Mail a query letter and first 30 pages)
- Aldrich Press (Imprint of Kelsay Books. $20 reading fee)
- All Things Matter Press (Spiritual, self growth/transformation. Poetry manuscript “should be at least 35k words minimum.”)
- Anansi
- Anaphora Literary Press
- Andrew McMeel Publishing (Use their online form. Requires proposal, bio, and sample of work.)
- Another New Calligraphy
- Anvil Press (Canadian poets only. Guidelines being updated. Checked 1-3-20.)
- April Gloaming Publishing (Southern writing)
- Arte Público Press (“Poetry … based on U.S. Hispanic (Cuban American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and others) cultural issues and themes.”)
- Baobab Press
- Bat Cat Press (“We welcome the submission of complete manuscripts throughout the year. We read in the fall (September-December) and typically send out accept/decline letters in December and January.”)
- Bauhan Publishing (Currently closed to submissions. Checked 1-3-20.
- bd-studios (“Much of the work we publish is by queer creators.”)
- Better Than Starbucks (“We prefer books of 90–110 pages, including front and back matter, such as TOC, a forward or introduction, credit pages, etc.”)
- Biblioasis (“Please note that while the majority of our authors and translators are Canadian, we do selectively consider international submissions.”)
- Black Centipede Press
- Black Mountain Press ($7 submission fee on Submittable or free if mailed.)
- BlazeVox
- Bloodaxe Books (English press. Mail “a sample of up to a dozen poems.”)
- BOA (Open submissions to the American Poets Continuum Series is temporarily closed. Checked 1-3-20.)
- BookLand Press. (Canadian poets only.)
- Bottom Dog Press (Begin with query.)
- Breakaway Books (Sport themes only.)
- Broadstone Books
- Broken Sleep Books
- C & R Press ($25 reading fee.)
- Caitlin Press Inc. (“Caitlin Press publishes books in all genres, but mainly on topics concerning or by writers from the BC Interior and stories about and by BC women.”)
- Cephalo Press (“Send us 3-5 poems that best represent your collection.”)
- City Lights Books (Currently not accepting submissions due to COVID-19.)
- City Work Press (San Diego poets. Send “a sample poem” and an SASE to begin process.)
- Clash Books
- Coach House Books (“We publish primarily Canadian authors.”)
- Conundrum Press (“Primarily from authors who live in the Rocky Mountain region.” Currently closed to submissions. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Cooper Dillon (for $10 or with purchase of one of their books)
- Copper Canyon Press (“Our open reading periods, held at least twice per year,” but the open months seem to vary. Check their Open Reading Calendar for further details.)
- Corrupt Press (I think they are open all year.)
- Coteau Books (“Coteau only publishes authors who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of this country.” No multiple or simultaneous submissions.)
- Counterpath Press (“Please send a query with a sample of no more than about 10 pgs.” to begin process.)
- Daffydownlilly Press (Imprint of Kelsay Books. Rhyming poetry for children written by adults. $20 reading fee.)
- Damaged Goods Press (“books by queer and trans identified writers”)
- Deep Vellum
- Disorder Press
- ECW Press (Canadian poets only. Send “approx. 10-15 pages” to begin process.)
- Ekstasis Editions
- El Balazo Press
- Encircle Publications (Use their “Author Query Form.”
- Etruscan Press (with $20 reading fee)
- Fragmented Voices (Begin with ” 3 – 4 poems, with an outline of a concept for a book, and a structured CV (no more than 2 pages) with a focus on the author’s creative life.”)
- Fremantle Press (“Fremantle Press welcomes unsolicited manuscripts from authors of Western Australian origin or whose main place of residence is Western Australia. Work by non–Western Australian authors will be considered when the subject matter has a strong Western Australian focus.”)
- Get Fresh Books (“Our chief concern is to provide opportunities for underrepresented voices in publishing.”)
- Giramondo Publishing
- Goose Lane Editions (Canadian poets only.)
- Grayson Books (query with “a sample of 6-10 pages of the manuscript, along with a statement of your qualifications and publication credits, expected audience and promotion ideas.”)
- Grey Borders Books (“Interested in works that confront and challenge contemporary social norms.” Use their submission form.)
- Half Mystic Press ($3 reading fee.)
- Harbor Mountain Press (Start with “letter or email inquiry.” “Response time is breaking some (long) records.”)
- High Plains Press (“Poetry of the American West. Old West history is what we can sell best.”)
- Holland Park Press (“Places special emphasis on bringing the work of Dutch authors to the English language market.”)
- Holy Cow! Press (Query with proposal first. If they are interested, they will ask for poems.)
- IF SF Publishing (Begin with cover letter, 10-pages, publication credits.)
- Inlandia Books (Writers from Inland Southern California. Currently closed. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Inside the Castle (“They are highly language and format driven, invested in hybrid approaches, prose mistaken for poetry, poetry mistaken for nonfiction. [. . .] We tend not to be enamored by poetry collections, preferring book-length works, but do try to tempt us.”)
- Invisible Publishing
- Kaya Publishing (“Publishing Asian diasporic literature.”)
- Lady Lazarus-Press
- Lapwing Publications
- Literary Laundry (The Vitalist Series. “Submissions are due April 1 of each year.” No opening date given.)
- Luath Press (Begin with query and sample text.)
- Manic D Press (You must read one of their books and tell them which one you read. Query with 5-10 poems.)
- Measure Press
- Milk Press (The Poetry Society of New York) ($12. No simultaneous submisssions.)
- Mother Tongue Publishing Limited (British Columbia poets. Begin with query.)
- New Binary Press
- New Meridian Arts (Uncertain of reading period.)
- Northwestern University Press
- Offord Road Books (Currently closed. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Oolichan Books. (Temporarily closed. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Open Letter
- Paloma Press (Begin with query by email.)
- Pank Books ($15. “PANK loves you. PANK is always open for your love.”)
- Peepal Tree Press
- Penteract Press
- Persea Books (Begin with a query.)
- Pinyon Publishing (“Queries welcome.”)
- Platypus Press (England-based press.)
- Plough Books (Faith based??)
- Poetic Matrix
- Prolific Press
- Propertius Press
- Rebel Mountain Press (“Canadian authors only.”)
- Red Dirt Press (“Contemporary American Southern Literature that addresses the complexities and diversities of the New South.”)
- Red Hen Press ($20.)
- Red Squirrel Press (Scotland based, but open to all. “Red Squirrel Press currently have a full production plan until the end of 2021 and almost full until the end of 2022.”)
- Salò Press
- Salmon Poetry (“Our list is full until 2022 but I do consider manuscripts on an ongoing basis. Email your query, with a short biographical note and 5 – 10 poems.”)
- Shanti Arts
- Shearsman Books
- Signature Editions. (Canadian citizens only.)
- Slant
- Skull + Wind Press (First, second, or third full-length manuscripts.)
- Snake Nation Press
- Spuyten Duyvil (“[W]e ask you to support our press by purchasing our books whenever you are (financially able and) inspired by their contents.”)
- SparkWheelPress (“Submissions are currently closed. Please check back in 2020.” Checked 1-3-20.)
- Tavern Books (“Poetry Manuscripts in Translation” or “English-Language, Single-Author Poetry Reprints.”)
- Threadsuns Press
- Trembling Pillow Press (“Book Manuscripts should be at least 80 pages.” “$15.00 reading fee.”)
- Ugly Duckling Presse (Begin with query and proposal.)
- University of Saint Katherine Press (Christian perspectives.)
- University Professors Press
- Unsolicited Press
- Urban Farmhouse Press
- Urtica Press
- Vegetarian Alcoholic Press
- Victoria University Press (“A connection with Victoria University of Wellington is an advantage but not a necessity.”)
- Wesleyan University Press (Currently closed to poetry submissions. 6-2-2020.)
- Whiskey Tit
- White Violet Press (Imprint of Kelsay Books. For formalist poets. $20 reading fee)
- Word West
- Xi Draconis Books
January Open Readings (Checked and updated 1-3-20.)
February Open Readings
March Open Readings
April Open Readings (last checked and updated 4-2-18)
June Open Readings (last checked and updated 5-31-20)
July Open Readings (last checked and updated 7-4-19)
August Open Reading (last checked and updated 8-1-17)
September Open Readings (Last checked 9-1-17)
- Arktoi Books (lesbian poets) (At the moment, Arktoi is not accepting submissions.)
- Bat Cat Press (“We welcome the submission of complete manuscripts throughout the year. We read in the fall (September-December) and typically send out accept/decline letters in December and January.”)
- Cherry Castle Publishing (“Our submission period is currently closed.”)
- Deerbrook Editions (“Suspended until further notice. . . . The normal reading period is August 1 to October 1.” Checked 1-3-20.)
- FutureCycle Press (They read July through December. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Harpoon Books (For 2019. $10.)
- Kore Press (July 9 through October 31. “Open to any women, gender queer, and transgendered artist writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad, and regardless of prior publication history.” Updated 1-3-20.)
- McSweeney’s Books (“Submissions are currently closed. We don’t have an exact date when they’ll reopen, but we’d suggest checking back in a few months. Thank you for considering McSweeney’s. (3/1/20).”)
- Sidebrow Books (Through October 31, 2017. “In lieu of a reading fee, we are asking each of you to kindly support our press and authors by buying the book of your choice from our catalog in conjunction with this reading period.”)
- Tarpaulin Sky Press (“Will we open for unsolicited submissions again, anytime soon? Most likely. But we’re not sure when.”)
- University of Pittsburgh Press (Pitt Poetry Series. For poets who have previously published a poetry book.)
- Willow Books (2017. $25.)
October Open Readings (Last updated 10-2-18)
- Arktori Books (lesbian poets) (“At the moment, Arktoi is not accepting submissions. Check back for changes.”)
- Apocalypse Party
- boost house
- Bat Cat Press (“We welcome the submission of complete manuscripts throughout the year. We read in the fall (September-December) and typically send out accept/decline letters in December and January.”)
- Black Ocean (“We are currently accepting submissions *for first poetry books* only from October 1 through October 31, 2017.”)
- Carnegie Mellon University Press (Not open to previous Carnegie Mellon University Press Poets. $15 reading fee.)
- co-im-press (“Likes works in translation that are strange, transgressive, visceral-mystical, or “unpublishable” through traditional means.”)
- Counterpath (Begin with a query and a short sample.)
- Deerbrook Editions (“Suspended until further notice. . . . The normal reading period is August 1 to October 1.” Checked 1-3-20.)
- El Balazo Press
- FutureCycle Press (They read July through December. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Gold Wake Press (Open reading begins March 1. There is no specified end date. Next open reading begins October 1 with no specified end date. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Harpoon Books (For 2019. $10.)
- Inside the Castle
- Kore Press (July 9 through October 31. “Open to any women, gender queer, and transgendered artist writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad, and regardless of prior publication history.” Updated 1-3-20.)
- McSweeney’s Books (“Submissions are currently closed. We don’t have an exact date when they’ll reopen, but we’d suggest checking back in a few months. Thank you for considering McSweeney’s. (3/1/20).”)
- Milkweed Editions (“Milkweed Editions does not anticipate holding open submissions periods in 2018.”)
- Orison Books (Poetry in translation.)
- Nine Arches Press (October 1-31, 2018.)
- Sidebrow Books (“We are currently closed for book-length submissions.”)
- Tavern Books: The Wrolstad Contemporary Series ($15 reading fee. “The Wrolstad Contemporary Poetry Series is only open to female poets aged 40 years or younger. Entrants must be US citizens..”)
- Unicorn Press (April 1 – June 30 and October 1-December 31.)
- University of Pittsburgh Press (Pitt Poetry Series. For poets who have previously published a poetry book.)
November Open Readings (Last updated 11-14-18)
- Arktori Books (Lesbian poets. At the moment, Arktoi is not accepting submissions. Check back for changes.”)
- Bat Cat Press (“We welcome the submission of complete manuscripts throughout the year. We read in the fall (September-December) and typically send out accept/decline letters in December and January.”)
- Black Lawrence Press
- Copper Canyon Press (The Fall/Winter 2019 open reading is: November 1 – 30, 2019.)
- FutureCycle Press (They read July through December. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Harpoon Books (For 2019. $10.)
- Mason Jar Press ($4 submission fee. Presently no calls.)
- McSweeney’s Books (“Submissions are currently closed. We don’t have an exact date when they’ll reopen, but we’d suggest checking back in a few months. Thank you for considering McSweeney’s. (3/1/20).”)
- Tavern Books: The Wrolstad Contemporary Series ($15 reading fee. “The Wrolstad Contemporary Poetry Series is only open to female poets aged 40 years or younger. Entrants must be US citizens.”)
- Unicorn Press (April 1 – June 30 and October 1-December 31.)
- WordTech Communications (Includes the following imprints Cherry Grove Collections, CW Books, David Robert Books, Turning Point, Word Press, and WordTech Editions.)
December Open Readings
//
More to come.
//
Ultimate update: 6-7-20:
- Added to All the Time Open Readings:
- Deep Vellum
- Milk Press
- Snake Nation Press
- Ugly Duckling Presse
- Added The Elephants to May and June
Penultimate update: 6-2-20:
- Added to All the Time Open Readings:
- 8th House Publishing
- 11:11 Press
- A.B. Baird Publishing
- A15 Publishing
- All Things Matter Press
- Andrew McMeel Publishing
- April Gloaming Publishing
- bd-studios
- Better Than Starbucks
- Biblioasis
- Black Mountain Press
- Caitlin Press Inc.
- Cephalo Press
- City Lights Books
- Clash Books
- Coach House Books
- Coteau Books
- Encircle Publications
- Fragmented Voices
- Fremantle Press
- Giramondo Publishing
- Grey Borders Books
- Holland Park Press
- Invisible Publishing
- IF SF Publishing
- Luath Press
- New Meridian Arts
- Peepal Tree Press
- Penteract Press
- Plough Books
- Propertius Press
- Rebel Mountain Press
- Red Dirt Press
- Shanti Arts
- Shearsman Books
- Slant
- Threadsuns Press
- University of Saint Katherine Press
- University Professors Press
- Unsolicited Press
- Urtica Press
- Victoria University Press
- Wesleyan University Press
- Whiskey Tit
- Word West
- Xi Draconis Books
- Added Close-Up Books to April, May, July, and August
Antepenultimate update: 5-31-20: Removed Short Flight/Long Drive Books from May and June
Preantepenultimate update: 4-25-20: Added Black Centipede Press to All the Time Open Readings.
//
194 presses that print paperback and/or hardcover poetry books.//
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Over the next few weeks or months, I will post all my reviews (“Tom’s Celebrations”) that appeared in Redactions: Poetry, Poetics, & Prose (formerly Redactions: Poetry & Poetics) up to and including issue 12. After that, my reviews appeared here (The Line Break) before appearing in the journal. This review first appeared in issue 12, which was published circa November 2009.
