2025 and 2026 Open Reading Periods

2025

Thank you for your interest in submitting to Copper Canyon Press! We will be excited to announce the results of our 2025 Open Reading Period in the coming weeks. There have been so many wonderful submissions, and we are eager to share some of this extraordinary work with you soon. Thank you to everyone for your patience as we’ve taken thoughtful time to consider so many remarkable poems.

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2026

Our 2026 Open Reading Period will begin on June 22 at 9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET! At that time, submission buttons will appear at our Submittable page. Please note that we can only review a maximum of 850 manuscript samples and will close the submissions portal once we reach this cap. We strongly encourage you to submit your manuscript sample, query letter, and short bio promptly to ensure your work is considered! 

Before sending us your work, please carefully review our complete 2026 Open Reading Period guidelines on Submittable. A few key details regarding eligibility, timelines, fees, and submission requirements are highlighted below: 

  • Copper Canyon Press is pleased to review original poetry, works in translation, and poetry-related texts. Books that have been self-published are not eligible for consideration. 
  • Poets and translators at any stage of their career, living in the United States or abroad, may participate. We cannot consider work by individuals who have worked with Copper Canyon Press in the past five years. 
  • Manuscript samples should be 15–20 pages in length, and a full manuscript should be ready for submission upon request. Please refrain from sending full manuscripts unless expressly asked to do so. 
  • Our Open Reading Period is made possible by a $35 reading fee, which directly supports the editorial team. Thank you for helping us keep this path to publication open! 
  • Copper Canyon Press offers 85 fee waivers, available on a first-come, first-served basis. When the reading period opens, choose the Fee Waiver option for submitting your manuscript sample. Do not query in advance. Personal requests for fee waivers will not be considered. This is an honor system; please choose it in good faith, and if you can afford the fee please make room for others here who cannot. We will announce when the fee waiver cap has been reached.
  • We will strive to send a status update to each poet or translator within six months of submission. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we thoughtfully review so many excellent manuscript samples.

For important updates on our 2026 Open Reading Period, including when we’ve reached our maximum number of submissions, please periodically check our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. If you have questions about your eligibility or need accommodations to make the Open Reading Period more accessible, you can email us at submit@coppercanyonpress.org.

Thank you again for your interest in submitting to Copper Canyon Press! We cannot wait to read your work!