We understand there are a LOT of poetry book contests out there and Gunpowder Press is a young press (founded in 2014). This is our 4th year hosting the Barry Spacks Poetry Prize. We are very proud of what we’ve accomplished with our poets so far, so here are a few reasons to submit your work to the Spacks Prize:
- Unlike some prizes with hundreds of entrants, the Spacks Prize is relatively small, with about 200 entries. Like those odds!
- Of these, about 10 excellent manuscripts will be selected as official Finalists and forwarded to our final judge, Lee Herrick
- We’ve been known to publish more than one of the submitted manuscripts–all books are considered.
- Gunpowder books are released in months, not years. Winners are published promptly.
- Our first winner, Catherine Abbey Hodges, published her next book with us, too. We’ll take that as a vote of confidence.
- If you choose, you can get a copy of the winning book for just $5 more. A hundred and fifty copies of the 2017 winning book, Aaron Baker’s Posthumous Noon, were mailed out to other poets from the first printing.
- You’re support other poets and an emerging independent press. Thank you!
We hope you’ll consider submitting.