What makes this guide especially useful is its clarity. Emily breaks the list into intuitive sections—full-length manuscripts, chapbooks, first-book opportunities, regional or identity-centered presses, and presses with rolling or recurring reading periods—so poets can map out a submission plan that fits their goals, budget, and manuscript stage. Each listing includes the press name, reading window, and a direct link to the publisher’s guidelines, making it easy to move from planning to action. Read her full post and find a link to the 2026 Publisher Spreadsheet here:
2026 Poetry Book Publishing: 175+ Deadlines and a Tool for Your Submissions
Emily also highlights a second sheet (via a tab at the bottom of the screen), called “Accessible Opportunities.” This list of 88 deadlines is pulled out from the main sheet and includes ONLY deadlines that have:
- No submission fee
- Reduced fee options
- Sliding scale fees
- Fee waivers
This kind of resource is invaluable for poets who want to submit with intention, rather than overwhelm. Whether you’re polishing a full-length manuscript, or simply trying to understand the publishing landscape more clearly, Emily’s guide offers structure, transparency, and a sense of possibility.
Her debut poetry book, Divination with a Human Heart Attached, was released by Game Over Books in 2023. She is a past recipient of the Developmental Editing Fellowship in creative nonfiction from the Kenyon Review. She is at work on a book-length prose project, parts of which were a finalist for the 2022 Iowa Review Award in nonfiction.
Emily shares in creative practice through various projects, such as Surfacing, a book of closing practices for writers and the Hummingbird Sessions. She is also the creator of the Poetry Bulletin, a newsletter and resource for poets that aims to make publishing more accessible. The project has reached over 6,000 writers and redistributed more than $15,000 to help poets cover submission fees for their books.
She lives in northern Michigan, where Lake Michigan is her favorite collaborator. She practices printmaking, zine-making, and more in the little studio she calls Ironweed Arts.
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