2018 Chapbook Competition Opens

This week, we've announced the judge for our 2018 Chapbook Competition and opened the submission gates.

We're so lucky that Tyehimba Jess, winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Olio, has agreed to serve as judge. Jess has published two books of poetry, Leadbelly (winner of the 2004 National Poetry Series and named one of “Best Poetry Books of 2005” by The Library Journal and Black Issues Book Review) and Olio (winner, as we said, of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize and an Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association). A Cave Canem and NYU Alumni, Jess has received fellowships from the NEA, Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and the Illinois Arts Council. He has presented his poetry at the 2011 TedX Nashville Conference and as part of the 2000 and 2001 Green Mill Poetry Slam Team. He is a Professor of English at College of Staten Island.

We will accept submissions from February 2 through March 26. And, as part of our mission to make entries more inclusive while also securing our ability to operate in the black, we're offering a free submission day. On February 15th, you can use the Free Submit link on our Chapbook page to submit your chapbook for free. While the $18 fee includes a free subscription, those who enter on the 15th will not receive a free subscription, but all entries will be considered with equal weight and fairness.

Entries should be between 28 and 26 pages only, with each poem starting on a new page. Use one-inch margins and a 12-point font. Number your pages, please. No biographical material should appear anyway on the manuscript, including your name in the header/footer or an acknowledgments page. Manuscripts that identify the author will be disqualified. Portions of the chapbook may have appeared elsewhere, but the chapbook as a whole must be previously unpublished. We only accept electronic submissions, through our Submittable portal, and entries should be ONE pdf file only; do not submit poems individually.

For more information visit our Chapbook page here. And if you still have questions, please feel free to email us at ihlr.mail@gmail.com.