Homebound Publications Poetry Prize | Homebound Publications

results of the 2020 poetry prize

WINNERS

For the second year in a row, we have a tie:

Winner (tie): The Whispering Wall by Lissa Kiernan

The Whispering Wall explores dimensions unseen but keenly felt. The speaker chronicles her move from an urbal to a rural setting in the midst of menopause and grief, over both the passing of a beloved and charismatic gay father, and the peak of her sexuality and ability of conceive.

Winner (tie): Long Shadows of Practice by Beth Jacobs

About the Book: Long Shadows of Practice is about the intersection of repetition and progress. What is done over and over silhouettes what is novel and surprising. These poems are rooted in meditation and writing practices, and blossom in the light of human experience. They lyrically describe perception and activity moving in many layers of reality. Long Shadows of Practice is philosophical yet felt, quiet and funny, fantastical and full of heart. It lands lightly with hope in the possibilities of connections. | FORTHCOMING APRIL 2021 from Homebound Publications | Pre-order Here>>

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Soul Sandals: Field Notes from the Exozoic by Omar Zubaedi

Low Tide Book by Tara K. Shepersky

Emigrant from an Imagined Country by James Wyshynski

The Blue Jay’s Call by Jenifer Cartland

Poems of Earth by Dónal Ó Céilleachair

how to submit

“Poetry is one of the ancient arts, and it begins as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.”

—mary oliver

“When I began to listen to poetry, it’s when I began to listen to the stones, and I began to listen to what the clouds had to say, and I began to listen to other. And I think, most importantly for all of us, then you begin to learn to listen to the soul, the soul of yourself in here, which is also the soul of everyone else.”

—joy harjo

“There’s a reason poets often say, ‘Poetry saved my life,’ for often the blank page is the only one listening to the soul’s suffering, the only one registering the story completely, the only one receiving all softly and without condemnation.”

—Clarissa Pinkola Estes

“Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone.”

—Lawrence Ferlinghetti

The 2021 Poetry Prize is now open!

Details about the 2021 Poetry Prize

Deadline for entries is May 31st, 2021. On July 30, 2021 we will announce one winner from the entries as well as a finalist and honorable mentions. The winning manuscript will be published by Homebound Publications in April 2022. While there is no cash prize at this time, the winning author will be offered a generous royalty contract. The winning author/book will also receive a feature spread in Homebound Publication’s biannual magazine, The Wayfarer.

The winner and a selection of finalist(s) will be published in paperback and eBook formats. Our books are distributed through Publisher’s Group West, a division of Ingram, and are available through wholesale outlets such as Baker & Taylor as well as retail outlets such as Amazon, B&N, Target, and indie bookstores across the country.

To enter, submit a manuscript between 48-75 pages in length (front and back matter are not included in page count) by May 31st, 2021. The entry fee is $25.00.

The editorial staff at Homebound Publications will judge the contest. The contest is not judged blind.

All entries will be considered for publication. We routinely publish manuscripts that are chosen for honorable mentions.

Entry Guidelines & Eligibility

To enter, the poetry collection must be previously unpublished.
A limited number of individual poems may have appeared in print or online but the poet must hold sole rights to the work.
Only authors who currently reside in the United States of America may enter.
Manuscripts must be in English.
Multiple entries by a single author are welcome but a separate entry forms and fees must be paid for each entry.
The manuscript must be no less than 48 and no more than 75 pages in length.
Deadline for Entries is May 31st, 2021. The winner will be notified privately of their win by July 15, 2021.
Employees and authors of Homebound Publications and its divisions are not eligible.

Entry by Post Mail

(Editor’s Note: While we are aware of the extra packaging required when sending via post, at this time we prefer entrants to send their submissions to us via USPS. When we complete our review of your materials, all packaging materials and paper is recycled.)

For those of you entering by post mail please include the following in your entry:

The full manuscript
A brief biographical statement
Check made payable to: Homebound Publications
Self-address stamped postcard (Should you desire confirmation of receipt of your entry.)

Post entries should be send to:

Homebound Publications

Attn: Poetry Prize

PO Box 1442, Pawcatuck, CT 06379 – 1968

[Please note:] Manuscripts submitted to the contest via post mail will not be returned. Please do not send us the original copy of your manuscript.

Entering Online

To enter online, you may submit your manuscript and payment via our secure submission platform here: Submit