driftwood

Driftwood Press is excited to announce that we are accepting full-length book submissions for our Editors’ Pick Poetry Prize. One or more full-length poetry collections will be chosen by our Managing Poetry Editor. See below for guidelines, timeline, and award information. We cannot wait to read your phenomenal poems!

 

 

We’re Looking For…

• Fresh voices full of artistic merit. We want books that push against tradition, that wow and dazzle with their attention to craft. Experimental poetry, hybrid work, poetry with a visual element, prose poetry, and any avant-garde poetry are welcomed! We love work that thoughtfully pushes poetry into new realms and realities.

• We welcome all poets but would love to see works from marginalized voices. That said, submissions are read anonymously.

• Cohesive collections: We want to see that a writer has thought about overall theme and poem placement. The collection should be as powerful whole as the poems are individually.

• We encourage you to read our anthologies and previously published collections to learn more about what we love! We are always fans of work centered in place, language, and ekphrasis.

• We stray away from strict rhyme and cliché that shows no awareness of either.

 

Timeline

• Submissions are open year-round, but may close temporarily if our editors need to catch up or if our book catalogue fills.

• Submissions will be accepted and rejected on a rolling basis. We aim for a three to six months response time.

 

 

Guidelines

• Poetry only. Though we do consider hybrid works, the bulk of the manuscript should be poetry.

• 45 – 100 pages of poetry. If you are a few pages under or over, no problem.

• Submissions should be primarily in English, but collections with a moderate bilingual component will of course be considered.

• A standard, 12-point font is preferred.

• Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.

• We read submissions blind, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself.

• Please include a Table of Contents page.

• Individual poems from your manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.

• You must include an Acknowledgements page, citing prior individual poem & chapbook publications of poems within this collection.

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Awards

• 1 – 3 collections will be chosen for publication per year.

• Poets will work closely with the managing poetry editor to polish their collection and complete a multi-round craft-centric interview, to be included in the final publication.

• Each accepted collection will receive: $500 USD, 20 copies of their collection, and a 20% royalties package.

• Winning collections will be sold online, in bookstores, at events, and distributed through Ingram & Asterism.

• Winning collections receive a moderate publicity push by our in-house team. We’ll try our best to get you a few reviews, podcast appearances, in-person readings, or features around the web. Depending upon scheduling and availability, winners may also have the opportunity to take part in an author signing & reading at a future AWP convention.

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Previous Winners

• Stop by our digital storefront to purchase our poetry collections.

• You can see a list of previous winners and finalists here.