Happy birthday to our founding spirit! While the name Gunpowder Press was inspired by Saint Barbara (the patron saint of our city and of gunpowder), our work is inspired by David Case, the poet who motivated Publisher David Starkey to start creating books ten years ago. Starkey includes Gunpowder Press’s origin story in his foreword […]
Announcing Alta California Prize winners Florencia Milito and Gabriel Ibarra
The winners of the Alta California Prize, selected by Francisco Aragón from an incredibly rich collection of submissions, are Florencia Milito‘s Sor Juana and Gabriel Ibarra‘s On Display. Francisco also recognized Felipe De La Rosa‘s Summer Blooms in Paramount as an honorable mention. In addition to the winners and honorable mention, eight poets were distinguished […]
Congratulations, Emma Trelles!
Academy of American Poets has recognized as a Poet Laureate Fellow Emma Trelles, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Fellow! Emma is the series editor for Gunpowder’s Alta California Chapbook Prize. Gunpowder is committed to bringing the words of Latinx poets to as wide an audience as possible. Thank you to the Academy of American Poets for […]
Congratulations to Kundai Chikowero, Santa Barbara’s first Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Gunpowder Press welcomes our community’s first Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador, Kundai Chikowero! We are honored to present one of her poems here. The moon and her waves We are like the moon and the wavesA pull felt from millions awayRegardless left untouched Sustaining life around usThen devastating in wavestsunamisAnd bouts of anger An existence frighteningly […]
Alta California Chapbook Winners
Crystal AC Salas, author of Grief Logic, and Nicholas Reiner, author of Levitations will be featured readers for the Mission Poetry Series. Books are available now!
Curriculum
The 2020 Spacks Prize winning book, Curriculum by Meghan Dunn, is now available from Gunpowder Press. Congratulations, Meghan!