Manuscript Guidelines for General Submissions

· General submissions are accepted year-round.

· No reading fees for general submissions.

· Book-length poetry manuscripts only.

· Simultaneous submissions accepted, provided we are immediately informed if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

· Original collection of 50 to 80 pages of poetry, excluding cover page, contents, acknowledgments, etc.

· Single sided, single spaced. We prefer no more than one poem per page. Numbered pages. Leave off the poet's name.

· Two title pages: one with name, address, and phone number and one with title only.

· No translations, unless the translations are of your own poems.

· Electronic files are accepted via the online submission manager (below). Use the title of your collection for the file name. We accept .doc, .rtf, or .pdf file format.

· We prefer electronic submissions but will consider hard copy submissions by mail with the stipulation that, should the author's work be chosen for publication, an electronic version (.doc or .rtf) must be prepared in a timely manner and at the poet's expense.

· Please include a cover letter with poetry publication/recognition highlights and something intriguing about your life story or ongoing pursuits. We would like to develop a connection with the poet as well as the poetry. Please include the collection title in the cover letter.

· If hard copy, bound by a single clip: no folders or notebooks, please

Mail to:

Brick Road Poetry Press
P. O. Box 751
Columbus, GA 31902-0751

Brick Road Poetry Press Submission Manager

Brick Road Poetry Book Contest

·Publication contract with Brick Road Poetry Press and $1000 prize, publication in both print and ebook formats, and 25 copies of the printed book. We may also offer publication contracts to the top finalists.

·Adhere to all the manuscript guidelines (above).

·Entry fee $20, payable through the online submission manager. If sending hard copy, please include a check or money order to "Brick Road Poetry Press, Inc."

·Deadline: November 1, submission accepted starting August 1.

Brick Road Poetry Press Submission Manager

Who We Publish

We want to publish poets who are engaged in the writing community, including participating in poetry readings, workshops, and writers groups. The poets we are looking for are those who are avid readers (and purchasers) of contemporary poetry. We give preference to poets who are actively submitting their work to journals, magazines and contests, and who take part at writer's conferences/festivals-as an organizer, instructor or participant. Previous publications and/or recognitions can be an indicator of readiness for a book length collection. As a "small press," it's important that we publish poets who are putting themselves and their work out there. We have found that book-length poetry collections are most successful in reaching an appreciative audience when the poet takes an active role in marketing his/her book.

All that said, we would never rule out an emerging poet who demonstrates ability and motivation to move in the direction we described above.

Preferences of the Editors

Qualities we admire:

·A coherent human voice
·A sense of humor
·Words and language as springboard for playful exploration
·Narratives with surprise twists
·Persona poems that conjure a speaker from literature, art, or popular media
·Intense depiction of a scene, setting, or experience
·Philosophical or spiritual concepts explored through concrete image, illustration or drama

Characteristics we dislike:

·Overemphasis on rhyme
·Intentional obscurity or riddling
·Highfalutin vocabulary
·Greeting card verse
·Overt religious statements of faith and/or praise
·Lack of recognizable theme or topic
·Abstractions apart from the concrete

Recommended Poets:

Kim Addonizio, Ken Babstock, Coleman Barks, Billy Collins, Morri Creech, Alice Friman, Beth A. Gylys, Jane Hirshfield, Jane Kenyon, Ted Kooser, Stanley Kunitz, Thomas Lux, Linda Pastan, Mark Strand, Natasha D. Trethewey