SUBMISSIONS FOR OUR OPEN READING PERIOD ARE CLOSED (U.S. PACIFIC NORTHWEST POETS ONLY).

If you are looking for submission guidelines for the Airlie Prize, click here.

Annually from July 1 through July 31, we seek full-length manuscripts from poets who reside in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Idaho) who are willing and able to commit to a three-year term of doing the shared work of running a collective press. Entries are accepted via Submittable.

Airlie now accepts submissions from poets previously published by Airlie. In 2024, poets published before 2021 are encouraged to submit a manuscript during our summer submission period. All submissions will be judged alongside those from new poets. Returning poets must commit to a standard three-year agreement.

Members are expected to attend monthly meetings—usually held virtually via Zoom, although we sometimes meet in person for readings and other events. Each member’s book is published in the second year of their term. Authors have the final say about the content and presentation of their books. All profits from the sale of books are returned to the collective for the production and promotion of future books.

As a press, we commit to participate in the ongoing conversation and practice regarding inclusion and equity. To this end, we encourage submissions from underrepresented voices and poets from marginalized communities.

Highlights of our publishing protocol include the following:

• Authors gain valuable editorial experience throughout their three-year tenure. Press duties usually amount to a few hours each week.

• Airlie Press follows a consensus-based model of decision-making (details of this process will be made available to those actively seeking membership).

• Authors take an active role in the production of their books, including design and publicity. Certain specialized skills may be assigned to outside professionals when necessary.

• Authors receive no money from the sales of their books; profits go toward the publication of work by the next two authors selected by the press.

• Each new member spends their first year learning press operations and supporting the production of upcoming titles, the second year producing their own book, and the third year mentoring new members and helping with the current books. There are no monetary requirements for new members.

• Press members are also editors. Each manuscript undergoes a thorough reading and editing, but authors have the final say on the design and content of their own books.

• Manuscripts should be 48-90 pages in length, excluding front and end matter. Longer entries may require cuts during the editorial process to fit the maximum final length of 96 book-size pages, including front and end matter. The manuscript should be paginated, with a title page, a table of contents, and an acknowledgments page.

If we are interested in publishing your manuscript, we will invite you to a meeting to discuss how the group works and answer your questions. The meeting is a chance for both you and the Press to decide if our collaborative approach is right for you at this point in your writing life.  We’ll announce our decision as soon as possible.

STIPEND AVAILABLE!

Airlie strives to be a supportive and inclusive editorial community.  We value excellent poetry and seek collaborators with a diverse range of backgrounds and lived experiences.  As we survey the history of our press (and literary publishing more generally), we recognize how white supremacy culture, in particular, has created unequal access to publishing opportunities. In response, we are actively engaged in making all aspects of our press accessible and equitable. 

As part of this work, we are pleased to offer two one-time stipends for writers who join our editorial collective: 

• One $1,000 stipend is available to anyone for whom the time and duties associated with serving on our editorial board would present a financial hardship. 

• We are also actively seeking Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI, trans, and im/migrant writers, and the expertise and skills these poets bring to publishing. Our second $1,000 stipend is open to anyone who belongs to one or more of these groups.

To be considered for one of these stipends, please note your interest on the Submittable form.