Willow Books, an imprint of Aquarius Press, announces its first annual Willow Books Poetry Award. The contest is open to all African American poets or poets of African descent. The contest is open to published and unpublished poets. Willow Books is open to a variety of aesthetics and seek to publish excellent manuscripts. Runner-ups will also be considered for publication.

Willow Books reserves the right not to pick a manuscript, in which case all monies will be returned.

Prize: The selected manuscript receives $500.00 and publication by Willow Books in the fall of 2009. The selected manuscript also receives 25 copies. The book will be available on the Willow Books website, through online retailers such as Amazon.com and through national and international book distributors. The winner will receive a standard royalty contract.

JUDGING: The selection of manuscripts for final judging will be made by the editors of Willow Books and designated readers. All entries are read anonymously.

Deadline: December 1st (postmark).
Entry fee: $25.00
Final Judge: Haki R. Madhubuti

Judge’s Bio: Haki R. Madhubuti is the author of more than twenty books including Don’t Cry, Scream, Groundwork Selected Poems of Haki R. Madhubuti/Don L. Lee, Directionscore: Selected and New Poems, and most recently Run Towards Fear. Among his honors and awards are an American Book Award and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is currently Distinguished University Professor of English and Director Emeritus of the Brooks Center.

Eligibility:

Open to all African American poets or poets of African descent whose work is in English.

Simultaneous submissions are allowed if the poet agrees to notify Willow Books of acceptance elsewhere.

Entries may not be previously published, but individual poems and chapbook-length sections may have been if the previous publisher gives permission to reprint. (More than half of the ms. may not have been published as a collection.)

Submission Checklist & submission guidelines:

A typed ms. of 50–80 pages of original poetry, single- or double-spaced.
(The author’s name must NOT appear anywhere on the ms.)

Manuscripts should be unbound, typed, pages numbered

A cover letter with the title of the collection, a brief bio, your name, address, phone number, and email address(es).

Acknowledgments may be included in the ms. but are not required.

A $25 check or money order payable to Willow Books.

An SASE for the selected manuscript announcement. Mss. will not be returned.

SUBMISSION PERIOD: September 1st – December 1st postmark. The selected manuscript will be announced on or before June 1st. Book will be published in the Fall of 2009.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: Willow Books Poetry Prize, PO Box 23096, Detroit, MI 48223; checks made payable to Willow Books.

Please email Willow Books for further information: aquariuspress@sbcglobal.net