Milkweed Editions is an independent nonprofit literary publisher that originated from the ''Milkweed Chronicle'' literary and arts journal established in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

in 1979. The journal ceased and the business transitioned to publishing. It releases eighteen to twenty new books each year in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Milkweed Editions annually awards three prizes for poetry: the Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry, the Jake Adam York Prize (in collaboration with ''Copper Nickel''), and they are a partner publisher for the National Poetry Series. In 2016, Milkweed Editions opened an

independent bookstore An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned. Usually, independent stores consist of only a single actual store (although there are some multi-store independents). They may be structured as sole proprietorships, cl ...

History

''Milkweed Chronicle'' was co-founded in 1979 as a literature and art journal by Emilie Buchwald and R.W. Scholes in Minneapolis. ''Milkweed Chronicles first issue was published in 1980. Buchwald served as editor and Scholes as

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

. The journal ran for 21 issues until 1987. It featured local and national writers and artists. In the mid-1980s, the publication ceased and the business transitioned to publishing. Milkweed Editions published its first book and ceased publication of the journal. Since this first publication, the press has published more than three hundred and fifty titles. In 1999, Milkweed combined forces with

Minnesota Center for Book Arts Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) is the largest and most comprehensive independent nonprofit book arts center in the United States. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, MCBA is a nationally recognized leader in the celebration and preservation of ...

and the

Loft Literary Center The Loft Literary Center is a non-profit literary organization located in Minneapolis, Minnesota incorporated in 1975. The Loft is a large and comprehensive independent literary center, and offers a variety of writing classes, conferences, grants ...

to purchase an old warehouse in downtown Minneapolis to house each organization. They named the warehouse, the Open Book. In 2007, Daniel Slager was named Publisher & CEO of Milkweed Editions. Since his arrival, Slager has focused the press on the publication of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and has focused on publishing more work in translation. In 2016, the press opened a bookstore, Milkweed Books.

Milkweed Prizes

The Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry was established in 2011 by Milkweed Editions and the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation. Submissions for this regional prize are accepted only from poets residing in the states of the Upper Midwest. The winner receives a $10,000 cash prize and a publishing contract. Previous winners have included Patricia Kirkpatrick, Rebecca Dunham, Michael Bazzett, Jennifer Willoughby, and Chris Santiago. In 2017, Milkweed Editions announced the

Max Ritvo Max Ritvo (December 19, 1990 – August 23, 2016) was an American poet. Milkweed Editions posthumously published a full-length collection of his poems, ''Four Reincarnations'', to positive critical reviews. Milkweed published ''Letters from Max ...

Poetry Prize, a US$10,000 award supported by the

Alan B. Slifka Foundation Alan Bruce Slifka (October 13, 1929 – February 4, 2011) was a New York investor and philanthropist, a co-founder of the Abraham Fund, and founding chairman of the Big Apple Circus. He was a native of Manhattan, New York City. Educat ...

. Grady Chambers is the Inaugural winner award of this prize, announced December 2017.

Awards and media recognition

Milkweed Editions was the 2021 winner of the AWP Small Press Publisher Award given by the

Association of Writers & Writing Programs The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is a nonprofit literary organization that provides support, advocacy, resources, and community to nearly 50,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 125 writers' c ...

which "acknowledges the hard work, creativity, and innovation of these presses and journals, and honors their contributions to the literary landscape through their publication of consistently excellent work." The press has been further recognized by media attention in interviews and features, including Literary Hub and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

''. Their 2013 title, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s ''Braiding Sweetgrass,'' landed on The New York Times Bestseller List.

Notes

External links

Milkweed Editions Homepage

Independent Publisher Interview-Daniel Slager
* * {{cite book, last=Anderson, first=Byron, title=Alternative Publishers of Books in North America, date=October 2006, isbn=978-0-9778617-2-9, pag
95
edition=6th, url=https://archive.org/details/alternativepubli0006unse/page/95
Minnesota: land of long-lasting small presses
by Marianne Combs, Minnesota Public Radio October 8, 2004 Non-profit organizations based in Minnesota Publishing companies established in 1979 Book publishing companies based in Minnesota Literary publishing companies Poetry publishers Non-profit publishers