Fledge
Chapbook Contest
Fledge
Intransitive Verb
: to acquire the feathers necessary for flight or independent activity
: to leave the nest after acquiring such feathers
2023 Two-Month Submission Window: CLOSED
Submission Window Opening September 1st - October 31st, 2024
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
2015 Erika Moss Gordon for Phases
Kathleen Willard for Cirque & Sky
2016 [No winner chosen for publication]
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2017 Tony Burfield for Sawhorse
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2018 Mara Adamitz Scrupe for a daughter's aubade (sailing out from Sognefjord)
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2019 E. A. Lechleitner for Catchments
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2020 Amy Wray Irish for Breathing Fire
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2021 Ashley Howell Bunn for In Coming Light
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2022. Madison Gill for Casualties of Honey
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2023 Lorrie Wolfe for The Language of Crows
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The Fledge Chapbook Contest seeks to award poets who are yet unpublished or who have published no more than one full length book of poetry (chapbooks excluded) with the publication of a chapbook of their work. Our intention is as much to increase the poets readership as it is to add another feather to their developing wings and flight skills.
We seek to promote a body of work which reflects any sphere of what we consider Human Ecology, the human experience of living, celebrating and even struggling with life and nature. This may include everything from our built habitats the nature of the self or ontology, poems which express or seek understanding of one's place or participation in the world at large especially concerning natural elements and living systems, as well as our found and built environments of urbanity, culture, and relationship, history, society.
Authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication will have the opportunity to enter into a publishing contract making them eligible for 5 free author copies of the work, generous percentage of royalties on future retail sales, highly discounted author copies and the waving of any initial publishing fees or costs.
All submissions must be received no sooner than the submission window opening date and no later than midnight of the closing date.
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We are seeking manuscripts as close to 40 pages as possible. Manuscripts with fewer pages will be considered, as well as those with slightly more. This is not a point that would eliminate a submission, merely a note as to what we are hoping for. Thank you.
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Manuscripts must be submitted prior to midnight, October 31st, 2023.
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Manuscripts must meet the following minimum requirements:
Original works, not exceeding 40 pages (including title pages, table of contents, author bio or acknowledgment pages). This is helpful because the traditional definition of a chapbook is 40 pages or under, however several of MCP's published chapbooks have been closer to 60. We will not decline a chapbook manuscript for being over 40 pages, however it may disqualify your manuscript and book for some awards or other considerations.
Please acknowledge any previous publication of individual poems or any source material quoted.
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Submissions should be in English, to include translated works, bilingual or multilingual script.
Manuscripts should be in a simple font common to Word documents, with a preference for Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma or Verdana set at either 12 or 14 pt.
Without images, drawings or other non-textual art (aside from dashes or common keyboard / separating symbols). Artwork for covers etc will be discussed later if MS is accepted for publication.
Submit a file titled with the words "FLEDGE SUBMISSION: [title of your ms]" as a Word or MS Word or PDF file, using our contact email address of: editor@middlecreekpublishing.com . . . and please include a letter of introduction to your work. Submit manuscript to editor@middlecreekpublishing.com