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Phoenix Poets Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in the Phoenix Poets series. Before you submit your manuscript, please be aware of the following conditions, rules, and processes:

  1. The University of Chicago Press only accepts unsolicited submissions for the series during the month of October. For this year’s open submission period, manuscripts must be submitted between October 1 and October 31, 2024, at 11:59pm CST.
  2. This submission period is open to all poets aged twenty-one or older. Poets may submit one manuscript per year, and manuscripts may not be resubmitted in subsequent years. There are three submission tracks, all of which run concurrently during the open submission period in October of each year:
    1. One manuscript—a poet’s first or second book of poetry—will be selected for the Phoenix Emerging Poet Book Prize.
    2. Manuscripts by poets who have already published two or more books of poetry will be considered for publication in the Phoenix Poets series but are not eligible for the Emerging Poet Book Prize.  
    3. Poetry in translation may be submitted provided that the original work is in the public domain or, if under copyright, the translator attests that English-language rights are available. The series is open to translations of poetry from any period and language.
  3. Manuscripts must be a minimum of forty-eight printed pages and written in English. If a manuscript contains the submitter’s own previously published material and is selected for publication, it is the responsibility of the submitter to secure permission to reprint that material at their own expense. We are unable to consider submissions that have been previously published in whole (including self-published manuscripts).
  4. If the manuscript is illustrated, it may include up to twelve black-and-white images provided that they are the poet’s own work; in the public domain; or have been approved for publication by the copyright holder, with proper documentation included. 
  5. Manuscripts must be typed and submitted as a single file (Microsoft Word or PDF). The first page of the manuscript must list the author’s name, email address, phone number, and the title of the manuscript, along with a paragraph of no more than 300 words that includes: (1) a short biographical statement by the author; (2) a list of previous published books of poetry (if applicable), including publisher name and year of publication for each; and (3) an attestation that the work being submitted is original and does not infringe on any copyrighted material. The manuscript proper should begin with the table of contents on the second page of the document file, followed by the poems. 
  6. Manuscripts already under consideration elsewhere are eligible for submission during this period. If a poet successfully places the manuscript with another publisher, they will notify Chicago immediately by email (phoenixpoets@uchicago.edu) and remove the manuscript from consideration. Conversely, a manuscript selected for the Phoenix Emerging Poet Book Prize must be withdrawn from any other contests into which it has been entered.  
  7. Publication is contingent on the poet agreeing to a grant of worldwide publication rights and other contractual terms set forth by the University of Chicago Press. The Press reserves the right to reject any submitted manuscript or to cancel publication if contractual obligations are not met.  
  8. Selections for Phoenix Poets are made by series editor Srikanth Reddy and the consulting editors. The Phoenix Emerging Poet Book Prize is awarded at the sole discretion of the series editors and the University of Chicago Press, who may elect not to award the prize during any given cycle, or defer publication if the final manuscript is deemed unsatisfactory. Submitted manuscripts may also be read anonymously by University of Chicago students for educational purposes.
  9. Manuscripts must be submitted as an attachment to the Phoenix Poets email address: phoenixpoets@uchicago.edu. The subject line of the email should be formatted as follows: Submission: [Your Last Name], [Your First Name] (e.g., “Submission: Reddy, Srikanth”). You will receive a reply confirming your submission within three business days.

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