Poetry Submissions
We welcome poets at every stage. Every manuscript receives our full attention — not a form letter, not a first reader alone. We read everything ourselves.
Every poet we published came through our open reading. No connections required. No insider knowledge. Just the work.
What We’re Looking For
We publish two to three collections a year, which means we take very few manuscripts and work closely with every poet we accept. We are looking for work with a clear sense of itself — a voice, an argument, a reason to exist as a book rather than a sequence of individual poems.
We are drawn to collections that could not be shuffled. Work where the whole cannot be broken without loss. If that describes what you have made, we want to read it.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify us promptly if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Submit
A full manuscript (40–100 pages)
A selection of 15–25 poems (20–40 pages)
Include
Project statement (100–250 words)
Author biography (100–200 words)
How to Submit
We use Subfolio to manage all submissions. Upload your manuscript as a PDF or Word document with a brief cover letter and contact details. We read year-round and respond to every submission.
Secure portal · $15 reading fee
Why Submit to Ink & Ribbon
“We don’t publish our friends. We publish the work that earns it.”
We are a nonprofit press. Every submission fee goes directly toward editorial costs and the honorarium paid to published poets. We produce limited editions of 250 copies, printed with care and built to last. Your book, if we publish it, will be an object worth holding.
We work closely with every poet through the editorial process. This is not a transactional relationship — it is a long one, if the work is right.
The LemonLight Prize
Our annual $3,000 prize for an outstanding poetry collection, judged by Leila Chatti. The 2026 prize is now closed. The 2027 prize opens in spring — join the Ink Well to be notified when submissions open.