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Throughout the month of August, CavanKerry Press accepts submissions for poetry collections, nonfiction essay collections, and memoir. Selected titles will be published by CavanKerry Press and receive national distribution. Please read the complete guidelines before submitting your manuscript.

Who May Submit

You! CavanKerry Press publishes works that explore the emotional and psychological landscapes of everyday life. We are particularly interested in receiving more work from queer, trans, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices. With our LaurelBooks imprint, CavanKerry also is especially engaged with work from people living with physical and/or mental illness and disability.

The August Open Submissions Period is open to anyone writing primarily in the English language and living in the United States, regardless of prior publication history. Submissions will be read by our editorial staff, and decisions will be made based on the quality of work and its alignment with our commitment to expanding the reach of poetry to a general readership. 

We are always impressed by the quality of work we read, and receive many more manuscripts worthy of publication than we are able to publish. Careful and thoughtful consideration is given to each work before decisions are made.

Reading Fee

CavanKerry Press is a committed member of the writing community. To better meet the financial needs of our fellow writers, we have revised our submission fee to offer a "Pay what you can" structure, with $10, $18, and $25 options. This is an effort to further our ongoing mission as an inclusive publisher and will in no way impact consideration of your manuscript. If you need additional financial assistance, please email Gabriel Cleveland, Managing Editor, as we are able to accommodate a limited number of free submissions for writers-in-need on a first-come, first-served basis.

All submissions should be made through Submittable. The submission fee of $25 also includes a choice of one of CavanKerry’s books from the list provided below. Book mailings will begin in September.

Manuscript Requirements

• All manuscripts must be a minimum of 50 pages.
• Submit your previously unpublished manuscript with a table of contents.
• Manuscript should be formatted on a Word document using a standard font (such as Times New Roman or Calibri) and standard margins. Prose entries should be formatted with 1 and 1/2 or double spacing,
• All manuscripts will be read anonymously. Please do not include your name on any pages of the manuscript.
• Include a cover letter with the following information:
  1. title of the manuscript
  2. author name
  3. address
  4. telephone number
  5. email address
  6. social media handles and website address if applicable

*Submissions without cover letter information will not be read.

Individual poems or essays in a manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies. You may include an acknowledgment page at the end, though this will not affect consideration of your manuscript.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted. Please notify Gabriel Cleveland, Managing Editor, promptly if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

Before submitting your work to CavanKerry, please explore our website and the work of the authors we have published.

Notification

Decisions regarding acceptance of manuscripts for publications will be made by the end of February the following year. You will receive a phone call from our senior editor and a follow-up email if your work is accepted. Please do not contact us with inquiries on the status of your submission until the reading period has ended.

With a $25 submission, you have the option to receive one of these titles:

American Rhapsody, by Carole Stone
Apron Full of Beans, by Sam Cornish
Divina is Divina, by Jack Wiler
GlOrious, by Joan Cusack Handler
Kazimierz Square, by Karen Chase
Motherhood Exaggerated, by Judith Hannan
Rewilding, by January Gill O'Neil
To the Marrow, by Robert Seder
We Aren't Who We Are, by Christine Korfhage
Without Wings, by Laurie Lamon

For questions or assistance with submitting your manuscript, please email our Managing Editor, Gabriel Cleveland, for help.

CavanKerry Press does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, orientation, identity, national origin, political affiliation, belief, age, or disability. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to utilize CavanKerry’s services.

CavanKerry Press will make a reasonable effort to remove barriers at events locations and, where possible, choose barrier-free venues. CavanKerry Press has a designated coordinator to facilitate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as required by Section 35.107 of the US Department of Justice regulations, and to coordinate compliance with sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.