2024 Reading Period Finalists

Summer draws to a close, and these two editors spent some wonderful summer days reading your poetry manuscripts. We moved our reading period a month earlier this year (from June-July, to May-June), to accommodate our own busy August schedules, and this gave us the time to read what were a truly impressive collection of submissions. We mean this. There were no easy choices for us this year, and we are so grateful for your support in sharing your work with us.

We have selected four collections for publication, and we’ll be announcing those titles very soon.

For those whose memories are already filling with turning autumn leaves, as editor Han’s is, here is a recap of our submission stats:

Complete Submissions: 336

Responses by Status:

• 1.2% (4) Accepted

• 95.5% (321) Declined

• 3.3% (11) Withdrawn

Response Time: (only for non-pending, non-withdrawn submissions)

• 50.4 days min.

• 110.9 days max.

• 76.6 days (mean) avg.

Finalists

And now, our list of finalists, collections we loved, collections that made our final selection process so difficult — although these were not our choices this time, we encourage you to watch for these books, read these writers, because these titles will be on the bookstore shelves before you know it:

Mary Ardery, Vigil
Kay Bancroft, Bloodroom
Monika Cassel, Rehearsal for Future Hungers
Shira Dentz, nostos
Chiara Di Lello, Child of Thirst
Todd Dillard, How to Live
Beth Gilstrap, There Is News Along the Ohio River
Chiagoziem Jideofor, Local Remedies
Kate Lucas, IN THIS LIGHT (Or, The Many Invisible Things)
Emrhys Ma, Early Days
Carolyn Oliver, Archangel Days
Vincent Rendoni, Dead Chicano Mixtape
Adrie Rose, To Sing Morning Has Broken & Mean That It Is Whole
Heidi Seaborn, Arti/i/facts
Tom Snarsky, MOUNTEBANK
Ellen Stone, Everybody Wants to Keep the Moon Inside Them
Orchid Tierny, this abattoir is a college
Erin White, Witness This Thing So Tender
Zoë White, Visible Field
Jane Zwart, Where it ends and where it doesn't

Congratulations to all!

We look forward to sharing our selections with you very soon.

Warmly,

Han & Amorak