Autumn House Press is an independent, non-profit literary publishing company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

History

Autumn House Press was founded in 1998 by Michael Simms when prominent American publishers, driven by economic concerns, dramatically reduced their poetry lists. As a result, influential contemporary poets were left struggling to find publishers. Over time, Autumn House started publishing

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

and

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

titles as well. Since its founding, Autumn House has published over 100 titles, including full-length collections of poetry, short stories, and essays as well as memoirs,

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...

, and poetry chapbooks, most of which are still in print. In 2016, founder and then editor-in-chief Michael Simms retired after 18 impressive years. Christine Stroud took on the role of editor in chief and Melissa Becker became board president.

Books and Authors

The press publishes books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction by such authors as

Chad Abushanab Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic t ...

Ellery Akers Ellery Akers (born 1946) is an American writer and artist living on the Northern California Coast. She is the author of three poetry collections: ''Swerve: Environmentalism, Feminism, and Resistance''; ''Practicing the Truth and Knocking on the ...

Beth Alvarado Beth may refer to: Letter and number *Bet (letter), or beth, the second letter of the Semitic abjads (writing systems) *Hebrew word for "house", often used in the name of synagogues and schools (e.g. Beth Israel) Name *Beth (given name) lists p ...

George Bilgere George Bilgere (born 1951) is an American poet. Bilgere grew up in Riverside, California, and earned his BA at the University of California, Riverside. He received his MA in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and earned a ...

Chana Bloch Chana Bloch (March 15, 1940 – May 19, 2017) was an American poet, translator, and scholar. She was a professor emerita of English at Mills College in Oakland, California. Life and work Born as Florence Ina Faerstein in the Bronx, New York, sh ...

Andrew Bourelle Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

Harrison Candelaria Fletcher Harrison Candelaria Fletcher is an American journalist and author. In 2013 his book ''Descanso for My Father: Fragments of a Life'' received a bronze medal for non-fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and also a Colorado Book Award ...

Sherrie Flick Sherrie Flick is an American fiction writer whose work has appeared in ''Prairie Schooner'', ''North American Review'', ''Quarterly West'', ''Puerto del Sol'', ''Weave Magazine'', ''Quick Fiction'', Lit Hub, and other literary magazines. Flick is ...

, Frank X. Gaspar,

Andrea Hollander Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that re ...

Dickson Lam Dickson may refer to: People *Dickson (given name) *Dickson (surname) Places In Australia: *Dickson, Australian Capital Territory in Canberra *Dickson College in Canberra *Dickson Centre, Australian Capital Territory in Canberra *Division of Dick ...

, Danusha Laméris, Ada Limón,

Ed Ochester Edwin Frank Ochester (born September 15, 1939 Brooklyn, New York) is an American poet and editor. He was educated at Cornell University, Harvard University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Currently he is a core faculty member of the B ...

, Steven Schwartz, Cherene Sherrard, Gerald Stern, and

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley Patricia Jabbeh Wesley is a Liberian (African Diaspora) poet and writer and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Penn State University. She is a Liberian Civil War survivor who immigrated to the United States with her family in 1991, ...

. Other prominent Autumn House authors include

Sheryl St. Germain Sheryl St. Germain (born 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American poet, essayist, and professor. She is of Cajun and Creole descent. Her father was Jules St. Francois St. Germain and her mother Myrl Marie Frank. Born and raised in south L ...

, who was named the Louisiana Writer of the Year in 2018, and Cameron Barnett, who received the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards for Emerging Artist and whose debut collection, ''The Drowning Boy's Guide to Water'', was a finalist for the

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

. Autumn House Press's other especially notable titles include ''Anxious Attachments'' by Beth Alvarado and ''Not Dead Yet and Other Stories'' by

Hadley Moore Hadley may refer to: Places Canada * Hadley Bay, on the north of Victoria Island, Nunavut England * Hadley, London, a former civil parish within Barnet Urban District from 1894 to 1965 * Hadley, Shropshire, part of the new town of Telford, ...

, both of which were longlisted for the PEN America Literary Awards in Nonfiction Essays and Debut Short Story Collections, respectively. ''Anxious Attachments'' was also awarded the Oregon Book Award in 2020. In 2013, Clifford Thompson's ''Love for Sale and Other Essays'' won the Whiting Foundation Award. The press also publishes comprehensive anthologies including ''New America: Contemporary Literature for a Changing Society'' and ''When She Named Fire: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry by American Women''. Autumn House Press titles have been reviewed in such venues as '' Publishers Weekly'', '' Booklist'', '' The Georgia Review'', ''

The Hollins Critic Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States, one ...

'', '' The Times Literary Supplement'', and the ''

Washington Independent Review of Books The Washington Independent Review of Books is a volunteer organization that operates a website for book reviews. It was founded by a group of writers in the Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockw ...

''. Poems and excerpts have been featured in venues such as '' The New York Times Magazine'', ''

The Slowdown The Slowdown is a radio show and podcast about poetry produced in collaboration between ''American Public Media'', the ''Poetry Foundation'', and the ''Library of Congress''. The first two seasons of the show was hosted by Tracy K. Smith. Backgr ...

'', ''

American Life in Poetry American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

'', '' Lit Hub'', ''

The Millions ''The Millions'' is an online literary magazine created by C. Max Magee in 2003. It contains articles about literary topics and book reviews. ''The Millions'' has several regular contributors as well as frequent guest appearances by literary not ...

,'' and ''Cleveland Review of Books.'' The press was featured on Ploughshares as part of their "Indie Spotlight" interview series.

''Coal Hill Review''

Michael Simms and Joshua Storey founded the ''Coal Hill Review'' in 2007. The journal published poetry by both emerging and established writers and took its name from Coal Hill, otherwise known as

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

, in Pittsburgh. From 2009 to 2018, ''Coal Hill'' also published print poetry chapbooks. In early 2017, the Autumn House staff began working to reimagine and redefine the journal. Beginning in November of 2018, ''Coal Hill'' became a triannual, multi-genre literary journal that offers a greater representation of Pittsburgh authors.

Prizes

Autumn House holds annual contests in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; the winners of which receive publication of a full-length manuscript a $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book. Previous fiction winners include

Michael X. Wang Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

's ''Further News of Defeat: Stories'' and Sharma Shields's ''Favorite Monster''.

Melissa Wiley Melissa Anne Peterson (born December 17, 1968), known by her pen name Melissa Wiley, is an author of children's books, known especially for two book series about Laura Ingalls Wilder's ancestors: ''The Martha Years'' and ''The Charlotte Years''. ...

won the nonfiction prize in 2019 for ''Skull Cathedral: A Vestigial Anatomy'', and poetry winners include ''lucky wreck'' by Ada Limón, ''The Moons of August'' by Danusha Laméris, and makalani bandele's ''under the aegis of a winged mind'', most recently. The press additionally awards the "Rising Writer Prize" in poetry and, beginning in 2021, in fiction. The prizes are awarded for first full-length books of by authors 36 years old or younger and are aimed at supporting the work of younger, less-established writers who will become the voices of an emerging generation. Winners receive publication and a cash prize. Previous winners include

Dennis James Sweeney Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Saint Dionysius (disambiguation), Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Classical mythology, Greek god of ecstatic states, ...

's ''In the Antarctic Circle'',

Eric Tran The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

's ''The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer'', and Cameron Barnett's ''The Drowning Boy's Guide to Water''. Autumn House additionally holds an annual chapbook contest which offers publication and a $1,000 advance against royalties. Previous winners of the Autumn House (formerly ''Coal Hill Review'') Chapbook Contest include ''Epithalamia'' by Erinn Batykefer.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.autumnhouse.org/ Book publishing companies based in Pennsylvania Culture of Pittsburgh Non-profit organizations based in Pittsburgh Publishing companies established in 1998