Publisher: David Starkey

Editors: David Starkey and Chryss Yost

History of the Press

Gunpowder Press was founded in 2014 by David Starkey, a Santa Barbara poet laureate, with the intention of publishing the first books of two superb poets: Chryss Yost and David Case. Chryss Yost, poet laureate of Santa Barbara from 2013-2015, has been writing for decades, and her first full-length collection showcases the best of her finely crafted, wide-ranging work. David Case, who died unexpectedly in 2011 at the age of 49, was an equally gifted poet. Wry, erudite, haunted, he produced a body of work that deserves the broadest possible readership.

Yost joined as Co-editor in 2015 and is the chief designer of all Gunpowder books.

As each new title appears, Gunpowder Press remains small but vibrant, fully committed to every book we publish.

About Our Name

The Press acknowledges our city’s namesake, Barbara of Nicomedia, the patron saint of gunpowder.

Contact Us

Gunpowder Press is not accepting unsolicited manuscripts at this time. Gunpowder encourages submissions to the Barry Spacks Poetry Prize from December 1 – April 30 each year. Santa Barbara-area poets are invited to submit individual poems to the Shoreline Voices Project. See the Shoreline Voices Project page for guidelines and upcoming projects.

You can email Gunpowder Press here.