Call for Submissions: Books of the Pandemic

The Poets House Showcase—an annual exhibit and catalogue that gathers all of the year’s poetry books from publishers of all kinds—is open for submissions to its 28^th iteration, featuring books published in 2020 and 2021!

This Showcase—the first since the pandemic and major renovations—is free, comprehensive, and inclusive. In past Showcase events, over 700 U.S. publishers participated, including commercial, independent, university, self-published, and micro presses. The Showcase provides a comprehensive view of the art, providing an opportunity to sample all the new publications, see what each publisher is producing, and enjoy the full range of poetry publishing.

Eligible publications include poetry books, books about poets or poetry, anthologies, chapbooks, artist/poet collaborations, digital publications, ephemera, broadsides, and poetry journals. Work can be submitted by the publisher or individual poet. Inclusion in the Showcase is free. To participate, please send ONE copy of each book or item you published in 2020 and 2021.

After the Showcase concludes, materials become a part of the Poets House library, one of the largest and most comprehensive poetry libraries in North America. Located in Battery Park City in New York, Poets House is a cultural center and independent library dedicated to poetry. Annually, we welcome over 80,000 patrons and 10,000 middle school and high school students, who come to Poets House to use the library, take a workshop, or attend cultural events.

Benefits of participation include:

• • The Showcase is displayed in a dedicated space, free and open to the public for browsing and reading, offering unparalleled exposure of your books to poets, poetry readers, and the broader literary community.
  • Books are organized by publisher, and most are faced out, offering publicity for your titles and for the press as well.
  • Your titles are included in the Showcase Catalog, a print and online document that lists every item in the exhibition, making it the most authoritative resource on poetry works published in 2020 & 2021.
  • All titles are incorporated into Poets House’s 70,000-volume poetry collection, serving 80,000 patrons on-site each year, and our online catalog, one of the most comprehensive bibliographic resources for poetry available.

To ensure your book is included:

Send one (1) copy of each work to Poets House, 10 River Terrace, New York, NY 10282. Poets House welcomes books for the exhibit from poets as well as publishers. All titles must be received by October 31, 2023, to ensure a spot in the display and inclusion in our exhibition catalog. An additional digital version, sent to Showcase@poetshouse.org, would also be welcome!

For more general information about the Poets House Showcase, visit the exhibition FAQs. And if you have specific questions, please do reach out. I’m excited about this Fall’s showcase and am looking forward to including your poetry titles!

Please send 2020 & 2021 titles to:

Ryan Mita
Showcase Manager
Poets House
10 River Terrace
New York, NY 10282
Showcase@poetshouse.org