Home of the lemonlight prize
INK & RIBBON
POETRY. CRAFTED. COLLECTED
Ink & Ribbon Press is a nonprofit poetry press and publisher dedicated to advancing the craft of the written word and bookbinding through limited-edition works and our annual $3,000 LemonLight Prize.
Our aim is simple: to run a sustainable model where every dollar earned is reinvested into publishing new voices and preserving the art of the book.
We champion poetic voices of artistic and educational value, producing each title with care — from design to print — in small, collectible runs of 250 copies. Our fine art editions are crafted as enduring objects of beauty and intention, created for those who believe poetry should be held, not just read.
Through our publishing program, community readings, and educational outreach, we celebrate poetry as a shared public good. The recipient of The Lemonlight Prize is featured in our annual anthology, published as part of this finely made collection.
ink & Ribbon Fine Editions
Our Fine Editions series celebrates the enduring craft of bookbinding through a limited run of three to five handmade volumes for each publication - these collectible works that merge art, literature, and permanence.
Each edition will be bound in collaboration by Nate McCall of McCall Co. Bindery, an award-winning artisan whose bindings unite traditional craftsmanship with modern design. Working exclusively with Ink & Ribbon, McCall will create bespoke bindings for our Fine Editions — each one stitched, pressed, and gilded by hand in the Pacific Northwest.
Launching Spring 2026
The 2026 Lemonlight Prize
OPEN MARCH 1 2026 - MAY 30 2026
Each year, The LemonLight Prize shines a light on exceptional voices in poetry—work that is intimate, luminous, and built to endure.
We invite poets at all stages to submit up to five poems (multiple submissions permitted)
Awards & Publication
Winner: $2,000 honorarium, contributor copies + potential future publication with Ink & Ribbon Press.
Shortlist (4 poets): $250 each + contributor copies.
Commended: Contributor copies.
All finalists will be published in the LemonLight Anthology, a limited-edition volume distributed internationally
Sesquipedalian Rain Chant
by Brooks Lampe
Summer 2026
Sesquipedalian Rain Chant is a poetry collection rooted in Oregon’s wet seasons and shaped by spiritual, poetic, and philosophical inheritance.
Structured as a passage through the year, the book treats rain not as backdrop but as practice—a recurring force that unsettles language, love, and belief. The poems move between domestic life and ancient voices, asking how coherence might be lived.
This is a book for readers drawn to poetry that holds depth and mystery, and who are willing to be changed not by certainty, but by the steady persistence of rain.
Open Readings & Book Reviews
Ink & Ribbon Press is opening its doors, and its pages, for the very first time.
Our Inaugural Open Reading (December 15 – February 14) invites poets to submit work for consideration toward our first full-length publication.
We welcome both complete manuscripts and selections of 15 – 25 poems, accompanied by a brief project overview and biography. The reading fee is $15, supporting our nonprofit printing and editorial fund.
Be part of our beginning — help us find the poet who will become our first published author.
We also review new and forthcoming poetry collections that honor the craft of the printed word.
The Inkwell
Book Review: Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Suppose I were to begin by saying that I had fallen in love with a color.
Bound Voices #001: A Conversation with Victoria Moul
Poetry’s past and present in conversation.
The Return of The Small Press
Why Poetry Needs Independent Publishers More Than Ever
Book Review: Modern Poetry by Diane Seuss
Modern Poetry opens not with reverance but a question: "What can poetry be now?"
Inaugural Poetry Open Reading - Submissions Welcome!
We have opened our doors for poetry manuscripts
Founder’s Notes | Why Ink & Ribbon Exists
The measure of success isn't margin; it's memory.