The Winner of Our 12th Annual Chapbook Contest Is...

A Bright and Pleading Dagger
by Nicole Rivas of Savannah, Georgia

Contest judge Rigoberto Gonzalez selected A Bright and Pleading Dagger out of a field of 169 excellent submissions, and the chapbook will be published in August 2018.

You can sign up to receive the chapbook automatically when it launches by becoming a Rose Metal Press Subscriber or Supporter here.

This year's contest finalists include:

Runner-up: A Little Saw by Monique Quintana of Fresno, California

The Liberation Dance by Earl Carrender of Indianapolis, Indiana
Untitled by Anonymous by Andrew Farkas of Lawrence, Kansas
Sometimes You Need to Vanish for a Bit by Linda Michel-Cassidy of Sausalito, California
Support Your Local Legends by Kai Naima Williams of Bronx, New York

The semi-finalists include:
Pansies by Carol Barrett of Bend, Oregon
Scenes from Childhood by Rita Ciresi of Wesley Chapel, Florida
A Trace of a Good Thing by Maya Klein of Tel Aviv, Israel
Re: Memoranda by Michael Martone of Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Abacus of Self-Improvement by Ursula Villarreal-Moura of Cambridge, Massachusetts

Congratulations to Nicole Rivas and all the finalists and semi-finalists, and thanks to everyone who submitted! This year's group of submissions was larger than ever and very skilled—the manuscripts we received showcased the ever-expanding range of styles and techniques being used in the field of short form writing.

The Results of Our 2017 Open Reading Period

This past August we had an open submission period for full-length books in hybrid genres. We received 328 manuscripts—a very strong group that showcased the impressive variety of cross-genre work being produced both nationally and internationally.

We are thrilled to announce we have selected the following three books for publication:

Audubon’s Sparrow by Juditha Dowd

V by Sheila O’Connor

Love in the Ruins: A Survival Guide for Life After Normal
by Nicole Walker and David Carlin

We look forward to sharing these books with you in 2019 and beyond.

We also want to recognize the work of seven finalists:

throughsmoke: an essay in notes by Jehanne Dubrow

Florida Man (A History) by Tyler Gillespie

Dancefloor by Brian Oliu

Chola Mona Lisa & Other Pieces by Monique Quintana

Savage Pageant by Jessica Stark

Proof That Something Happened by Tony Trigilio

Polalka by Karolina Zapal

Congratulations to our four new RMP authors and the seven finalists, and thanks to everyone who submitted to our open reading period!

Sneak Peek of MONSTER PORTRAITS, releasing in Feb. 2018!

We are thrilled to reveal the cover of MONSTER PORTRAITS by Del Samatar and Sofia Samatar. MONSTER PORTRAITS will release in February 2018. The cover features artwork by Del Samatar and was designed by Heather Butterfield.

MONSTER PORTRAITS
By Del Samatar and Sofia Samatar
FEBRUARY 2018
ISBN 978-1-941628-10-2