Autumn House Press  

Welcome to Autumn House Press

  • The 2009 Autumn House Poetry Contest

    The annual Autumn House Poetry Contest awards publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500 to the winner. The 2009 judge is Alicia Ostriker. The postmark deadline for entries is June 30, 2009 - click here to get all the details.

    The winner of the 2008 Autumn House Poetry Contest, selected by Naomi Shihab Nye, is A Theory of Everything by Mary Crockett Hill of Elliston, Virginia. The book will be published in January, 2009.

    The winner of the 2007 Autumn House Poetry Contest, selected by Mark Doty, is The Dark Opens by Miriam Levine of Arlington, Massachusetts. The book was published in January, 2008.

  • The 2009 Autumn House Fiction Contest

    We are pleased to announce the second annual Autumn House Fiction Contest. Selected by our fiction editor Sharon Dilworth, the winner will be awarded publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500.The postmark deadline for entries is June 30, 2009 - click here to get all the details.

    The winner of the 2008 Autumn House Fiction Contest, selected by Sharon Dilworth, is Drift and Swerve by Samuel Ligon of Spokane, Washington. The book will be published in January, 2009.

  • The Autumn House Poetry Series

    Founded in 1998, Autumn House Press has published 31 books of poetry by 25 authors who have won major American poetry awards, as well as lesser-known writers who we believe will become the important poets of their generation. Please browse our catalog of current releases to learn more.

  • The Autumn House Fiction Series

    Our first fiction title, New World Order by Derek Green, has been released. We plan to publish two books of fiction each year. One will be our annual contest winner, and the other will be a finalist from the contest.

  • Our Anthologies

    In addition to collections by individual authors, Autumn House publishes comprehensive anthologies of poetry:

    When She Named Fire: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry by American Women is the first major collection of its kind in a generation. It features 97 of the most exciting poets in America including Kim Addonizio, Natasha Trethewey, Robin Becker, Lia Purpura, Hilda Raz, Tracy K. Smith, Chase Twichell, Marilyn Nelson, Marie Howe, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Martha Collins, Jan Beatty, Maxine Kumin, Naomi Shihab Nye, Claudia Emerson, Lynn Emanuel, Mary Oliver, Jane Mead, Mary Ruefle, Kay Ryan, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, and Pattiann Rogers. The collection includes a photograph and a brief biographical sketch of each poet.

    The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry features 300 poems by 94 of America's best poets, including Wendell Berry, Rita Dove, Stephen Dunn, Denise Duhamel,Tony Hoagland, Li-Young Lee, Jane Kenyon, Philip Levine, Naomi Shihab Nye, Larry Levis, William Matthews, Jo McDougall, Gerald Stern, Jean Valentine, and Dean Young.

    Joyful Noise: an Anthology of American Spiritual Poetry brings together America's diverse spiritual traditions in one volume. Ancient Native songs from the Chippewa, Inuit, Ojibwa, Osage, Hopi, Pawnee, and Sioux are included beside traditional Protestant hymns and generous selections from Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Wheatley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Wallace Stevens, T.S. Eliot, and many contemporary poets such as Frank O'Hara, Linda Pastan, Gerald Stern, Toi Derricotte, Agha Shahid Ali, B.H. Fairchild, Anne Waldman, Bob Hicok, and Mark Doty.



Our Mission

  • Autumn House Press is a non-profit corporation registered in the state of Pennsylvania whose mission is to publish and promote poetry and other fine literature.

  • The press will concentrate on publishing the work of excellent contemporary writers who have a following among readers, but whose work has been overlooked by commercial publishers.

  • In the belief that a book is not only a readable text but also an object of art, the press is dedicated to producing beautifully designed, well-manufactured books on acid-free paper.

  • To these ends, the press will seek out the best possible book designers, illustrators, poets, writers, and editors.

  • This dedication to quality will, however, be balanced against considerations of cost in order to make the books affordable to all.