Caribbean Poetry Book Series: Calabash
There are presently no open calls for submissions.
Under the helm of series editor Kwame Dawes and in partnership with the Calabash International Literary Festival Trust, the Caribbean Poetry Book Series: Calabash seeks to publish works of Caribbean poetry written in, and translated to, English. With a wide-ranging scope, this series highlights excellent poetry books by Caribbean poets at various stages of their literary careers. From publishing winners of the annual Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets to publishing canonical Caribbean authors, this series looks to rectify a gap in the US publishing landscape by creating a publishing home committed to poetry by Caribbean poets. This series is published in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Press.
The University of Nebraska Press has been a home for similar successful partnerships, particularly the African Poetry Book Series through which poetry by African poets has been published for a decade in collaboration with the African Poetry Book Fund.
Each year the Caribbean Poetry Book Series: Calabash publishes two to three books of poetry by Caribbean poets. These books feature some of the best new poetry written by Caribbean poets at various stages of their career.
General Submissions
In addition to publishing poetry collections by emerging and mid-career poets, we also publish new and selected volumes or collected volumes by major contemporary Caribbean poets. These volumes highlight the breadth and length of poets’ careers and contributions to world literature. The series seeks to redress the problem of accessibility to the work of some of Caribbean’s most gifted and accomplished poets.
All manuscripts will be reviewed by the editorial board.
When to Send
We accept unsolicited manuscripts of poetry for consideration from January 15th to March 15th.
Manuscripts
Poetry manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long.
While we have no specific formatting rules, we suggest sending your manuscript in Times New Roman or Arial, 12-point font, single-spaced. We also prefer one poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends.
Translators must present documentation from the author or the author’s estate demonstrating that they have permission to translate and publish the work.
Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets
The Neville Dawes First Book Prize celebrates the work of an emerging Caribbean poet with a $1,000 USD cash prize and publication of a full-length manuscript by the University of Nebraska Press. Run annually, the contest is open to emerging Caribbean poets who have not yet published a full-length book of poetry. Poets may reside anywhere globally, as long as they are of Caribbean origin. There is no reading fee to submit to the prize.
Neville Dawes (1926-1984) was born in Nigeria of Jamaican parents but grew up in rural Sturge Town in Jamaica. He studied for an MA at Oxford (Oriel College) and later taught in Jamaica, Ghana, and Guyana. He wrote two novels, The Last Enchantment and Interim and a critical work, Prolegomena to West Indian Literature. Another book, Fugue and Other Writings, brings together his poetry, short stories, autobiographical writing and literary criticism. He was appointed Director of the Institute of Jamaica on his return to Jamaica and established the Institute’s short-lived but important publishing programme. Always a Marxist, he was deeply immersed in Africa, in English Literature, and in his nationalist identification with the rural Jamaican working class. His writing is located within these poles. Neville Dawes is the father of author and editor Kwame Dawes.
The Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets will only accept “first book” submissions from Caribbean writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. This includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings. Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible.
A Caribbean writer is taken to mean someone who was born in the Caribbean, who is a national or resident of a Caribbean country, or whose parents are Caribbean.
Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted, but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.
No past or present paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press, Akashic Books, or current faculty, students, or employees of Brown University are eligible for the prizes.
Manuscripts are accepted annually between September 15th and December 1st.