Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The St. Lawrence Book Award for an unpublished collection of poems or short stories. The St. Lawrence Book Award is open to any writer who has not yet published a full-length collection of short stories or poems. See FAQ for more details. The deadline for the St. Lawrence Book Award is August 31. Our fall contest, the Black River Chapbook Competition, closes in October. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, ten copies of the book, and an interview in The Adirondack Review. Prizes will be awarded on publication.
To enter, submit complete manuscript of poems or short stories using the guidelines below, along with a $25.00 entry fee. IMPORTANT: Checks should be made payable to Dzanc Books (not Black Lawrence Press). Money orders (made out to Dzanc Books) are also acceptable.
CONTEST GUIDELINES
Please make sure that your submission packet includes the following:
PLEASE CLIP TOGETHER THE FOLLOWING: cover letter with brief bio and contact information including e-mail; acknowledgments page for publications in which the poems/stories first appeared (if applicable); a contest entry fee of $25.00 (IMPORTANT: all checks should be made out to Dzanc Books [not Black Lawrence Press]). Include two cover pages, the first as described above, and the second with title of the manuscript only. All entries will be judged anonymously. Black Lawrence Press does not use interns to screen entries. All entries are judged by the editors.
No electronic submissions, please. No exceptions. Please include a table of contents page and make sure that each page of your manuscript is numbered. Make checks payable to Black Lawrence Press. Please do not include a manuscript-sized SASE; all manuscripts will be recycled. Include a valid e-mail address so that we may contact you when finalists are announced. Because of the high volume of entries received, all finalists and semi-finalists will be announced on the Black Lawrence Press website. Please do not send a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope). All finalists will be announced on or before October 31 of each year. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter.
All finalists will be considered for standard publication. In addition to each year's winner, Black Lawrence Press offers standard publication to one or more other finalists. Finalists will receive one copy of the winning book each.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but you must notify Black Lawrence Press immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere for publication.
Send manuscript materials and contest entry fee to:
BLACK LAWRENCE PRESS
The St. Lawrence Book Award
8405 Bay Parkway, C8
Brooklyn, NY 11214
Thank you for your interest in Black Lawrence Press.
