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 checked and updated 1-3-20.)
- Aldrich Press (Imprint of Kelsay Books. $20 reading fee)
- Anansi
- Anaphora Literary Press
- Another New Calligraphy
- Anvil Press (Canadian poets only. Guidelines being updated. Checked 1-3-20.)
- 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.)
- 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.)
- City Work Press (San Diego poets. Send “a sample poem” and an SASE to begin process.)
- 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.)
- 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”)
- Disorder Press
- ECW Press (Canadian poets only. Send “approx. 10-15 pages” to begin process.)
- Ekstasis Editions
- El Balazo Press
- Etruscan Press (with $20 reading fee)
- Get Fresh Books (“Our chief concern is to provide opportunities for underrepresented voices in 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.”)
- 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.”)
- Holy Cow! Press (Query with proposal first. If they are interested, they will ask for poems.)
- 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.”)
- 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.)
- Manic D Press (You must read one of their books and tell them which one you read. Query with 5-10 poems.)
- Measure Press
- Mother Tongue Publishing Limited (British Columbia poets. Begin with query.)
- New Binary Press
- Northwestern University Press
- Offord Road Books (Currently closed. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Oolichan Books. (Temporarily closed. Checked 1-3-20.)
- Open Letter
- Pank Books ($15. “PANK loves you. PANK is always open for your love.”)
- Persea Books (Begin with a query.)
- Pinyon Publishing (“Queries welcome.”)
- Platypus Press (England-based press.)
- Poetic Matrix
- Prolific Press
- 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.”)
- Signature Editions. (Canadian citizens only.)
- Skull + Wind Press (First, second, or third full-length manuscripts.)
- 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.”)
- Trembling Pillow Press (“Book Manuscripts should be at least 80 pages.” “$15.00 reading fee.”)
- Urban Farmhouse Press
- Vegetarian Alcoholic Press
- White Violet Press (Imprint of Kelsay Books. For formalist poets. $20 reading fee)
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 6-5-18)
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 (“The McSweeney’s Poetry Series is taking a temporary hiatus from accepting submissions. We hope to open things up again before too long.” Checked 7-4-19. They might be permanently closed to submissions.)
- 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 (“The McSweeney’s Poetry Series is taking a temporary hiatus from accepting submissions. We hope to open things up again before too long.” Checked 7-4-19. They might be permanently closed to submissions.))
- 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
- 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 (“The McSweeney’s Poetry Series is taking a temporary hiatus from accepting submissions. We hope to open things up again before too long.” Checked 7-4-19. They might be permanently closed to 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.)
- 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: 1-3-20:
- Removed from All the Time Open Readings:
- Alabaster Leaves Publishing.
- A-Minor Press
- boost house
- Choose the Sword Press
- Field Translation Series
- Hiraeth Press
- HVTN
- Jellyfish Highway
- Keyhole Press
- Letter Machine Editions
- Mid-List Press
- Milk Press
- Mongrel Empire Press
- Oberon Press
- Red Bridge Press
- Shire Reckoning Publishing House
- Skylight Press
- Upper Rubber Boot Books
- Removed Graywolf Press from January, May, and August.
- Removed H_NGM_N BKS from December, January, February, and March.
- Removed Steel Toe Books from January, February, and October.
- Added to All the Time Open Readings:
- Another New Calligraphy
- Baobab Press
- Open Letter
- Added Green Lantern Press to December and January
- Added Milk and Cake Press to January, February, March, and April
Penultimate update: 7-4-19:
- Added
- Lynx House Press to July.
- Corrupt Press and Vegetarian Alcoholic Press to All the Time Open Readings.
- Short flight/Long Drive Books to May, June, and July.
- Harpoon Books to July through December (for 2019).
- Removed Anchor and Plume Press, ELJ Publications, and Muriel Press from June and July.
- Removed Four Chambers Press and Robocup Press from July.
Antepenultimate update: 4-29-30: Added Skull + Wind Press to Open All the Time Readings
Preantepenultimate update: 4-4-19: Added Pandhandler Books to February, March, and April.
142 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.
