Publisher: David Starkey
Editors: David Starkey and Chryss Yost
History of the Press
Gunpowder Press was founded in 2014 by David Starkey. Chryss Yost joined David as co-editor in 2015. Both David and Chryss have served as Santa Barbara’s Poet Laureate.
Gunpowder Press’s first book was Tarnation of Faust by David Case, a gifted poet who died unexpectedly in 2011 at the age of 49. Wry, erudite, haunted, he produced a body of work that deserves the broadest possible readership.
While national in scoped, Gunpowder Press also publishes anthologies by Central California poets as the Shoreline Voices Project.
We help with two poetry prizes focused on Santa Barbara County: the Carol Decanio Abeles Emerging Poets Prize, awarded for a single poem by a poet who has not yet published a full-length book, and the Carol Decanio Abeles Young Poets Prize, for elementary-school students participating in the California Poets in the Schools program.
As each new title appears, Gunpowder Press remains small but vibrant, fully committed to every book we publish.
Why Gunpowder Press?
Based in Santa Barbara, the name Gupowder Press was inspired by our city’s namesake, Barbara of Nicomedia, AKA Saint Barbara, 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 January 1 – April 30 each year.
You can email Gunpowder Press here.