The Backwaters Press
Donations...
The Backwaters Press is recognized by the IRS as a non-profit, 501-(C)-3 organization. Verification of this status is available upon request. The total amount of any donation you may make may be deducted from your income tax as a donation to a charitable organization.
The Backwaters Press Poets on The Writer's Almanac...
Call for Essays...
Letters From Grass Country:
Essays on the Contemporary Poets and Poetry of the Great Plains
Edited by:
Mary K. Stillwell and Greg Kosmicki
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2010
Publication date: Fall 2011, perfect bound
- Scholarly or familiar essays about the poets of the Great Plains, their lives and work.
- Focus on new as well as established poets.
- Cultural diversity strongly encouraged.
- Interest in neglected poets of the region.
- Broader essays about the influence of the region on its poetry and poets --the culture, ethos, geography, history, etc.
- Submit manuscript in a Word 97 or newer attachment to: thebackwaterspress@gmail.com.
Additional Information...
Abstracts: May be sent to the press at any time for approval. If the press approves your abstract, that should not be understood as an acceptance of the essay to follow, but rather as an understanding between the press and the writer that the material in the abstract fits into the general themes of the essay collection.
Length: Open, but long enough to deal in some depth with the chosen topic. We are looking for fully-realized essays that address the life and/or the life work of a “grass country” poet, the influences, whether cultural, literary, geographic, political, social, ethical or other. Please do not send short, book review-like essays.
Style: We hope to publish an eclectic assortment of scholarly and critical essays as well as personal essays that deal with the above subjects in a more casual, but well-written, manner.
Previously published essays: We will consider essays that have been previously published. Please include the publication information when you submit.
More questions? Please e-mail Greg or Mary at thebackwaterspress@gmail.com
Call for Submissions to: The Untidy Season: An Anthology of Nebraska Women Poets...
The Backwaters Press is now accepting submissions for The Untidy Season: An Anthology of Nebraska Women Poets through December 31st of 2010, for expected publication in Spring of 2012. Contributors must be Nebraskan women, which includes all women born or currently residing in Nebraska. Poets who have previously lived in Nebraska for a period of not less than 10 years, will also be considered. We ask that all submissions include a brief statement describing the author’s connection to the state of Nebraska. Poetry submissions need not specifically address Nebraska issues or geography, though both are certainly welcome.
The Backwaters Press, an independent, non-profit press based in Nebraska, has published numerous award-winning titles, including the anthology Times of Sorrow, Times of Grace (2003), which received two Nebraska book awards, and Nebraska Presence: An Anthology of Poetry, which won a Nebraska Book Award for a poetry anthology. Several poets published by the press have had poems from their books read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer’s Almanac.
Please send 3-5 previously unpublished poems (10 pages maximum) to theuntidyseason@yahoo.com. Include a cover letter with a brief bio and statement describing your connection to Nebraska. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Poems should be submitted both as an attachment (rtf, doc, or docx) and pasted in the body of the e-mail. Electronic submissions are strongly preferred, however, postal mail submissions may be sent to: P.O. Box 8067, Omaha, NE 68108. Please list the name and address of contributors on each page of postal mail submissions, and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of your poems and for correspondence. Please include your e-mail address with your postal mail submission. Poets whose work is published in the collection will receive a contributor's copy.
Open Submissions...
In order that the press may catch up on its backlog of accepted manuscripts, the editors will discontinue reading manuscripts for possible publication until further notice.
Please do not send us any manuscripts until the press places an official notice on this site that we have started reading again. Thanks!
© 2010 The Backwaters Press. All rights reserved. Updated: January 24, 2010