Announcing May 2025 Open Reading Period

Dear Poets and Translators,

Thank you for your interest in submitting to Copper Canyon Press. We are excited to announce that our next reading period will open on Thursday, May 1st at 9:00am Pacific Time. With the arts world under attack, and with censorship on the rise, we are grateful for an opportunity to reconnect with the poetry community in this way—to support and uplift diverse voices and stories from around the world. 

Copper Canyon Press believes poetry is vital to language and living, and that inclusivity is essential to the health of poetry and literature everywhere.

For our May 2025 Open Reading Period, poets and translators are invited to submit a 15 to 20 page manuscript sample along with a query letter. Submissions will only be accepted through Submittable, our online submissions manager, where you’ll find detailed guidelines on required materials and information about reading fees, accessibility requests, and more.

We have a cap of 1,000 submissions and will make an announcement via our website and social media platforms when this limit is met and the window for submitting has closed.

We remain committed to maintaining equitable and accessible paths to publication, and will continue to provide a limited number of fee waivers in the May 2025 Open Reading Period. You can submit your request by emailing poetry@coppercanyonpress.org using the subject line “2025 ORP Fee Waiver Request.”

Fee waiver requests will only be accepted between 12:00am Pacific Time on Thursday, April 17th through 11:59pm Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 30th. We will not be able to honor requests submitted outside of this window.

Thank you again for your interest in submitting to Copper Canyon Press. We deeply value our Open Reading Period, as well as the poetry and individuals that this program allows us to encounter.

We look forward to reviewing your work and ask that any questions be directed to poetry@coppercanyonpress.org.

Sincerely,

The Editorial Team