History

Autumn House Press was founded by Michael Simms during a time when many prominent American publishers drastically reduced their poetry offerings, leaving influential and emerging contemporary poets struggling to find homes for their work. Reflecting on the press’s origins, Simms wrote:

In 1998, a time when the large commercial publishers and university presses, facing financial pressure, were getting out of the business of publishing books of poetry, and the sacred burden of keeping American poetry alive was falling on a few independent presses, my old friend, mentor, and co-author Jack Myers came to visit my wife Eva and me in Pittsburgh. Jack and I sat in our living room, Jack drinking beer and me drinking coffee, night after night talking about starting a poetry press. Out of those conversations, Autumn House began. And six months later, AHP’s first book, OneOnOne by Jack Myers, was released.

Following its launch, Autumn House Press published many more poetry collections from both emerging and established voices, including Gerald Stern, Jo McDougall, Ed Ochester, Julie Suk, and Ada Limón. With a strong foundation in poetry and seeking to support a broader range of authors, the press gradually expanded to include fiction and nonfiction titles.

In 2016, after eighteen remarkable years at the helm, Michael Simms retired as editor-in-chief, passing the torch to Christine Stroud.

Now, with over 150 titles in print and celebrating more than twenty-five years in operation, Autumn House Press has established itself as a significant independent publisher in the United States. As Pittsburgh’s only nonprofit, independent literary publisher, the press continues to champion contemporary literature and cultivate diverse literary voices.