Portage Press

Our submission period is closed. We will announce future submission calls here.

Our team is looking for an outstanding book of poetry that disrupts the Midwestern stereotypes, encouraging readers to consider the urban or rural Midwest in a new light. We are looking forward to reading your work and thank you for submitting to Portage Press!

Submission guidelines:

The manuscript must be the author’s original work, between 48 and 96 pages long.

1. The manuscript must be emailed as Word document. The cover page should list the manuscript’s title, author’s name, email address, mailing address, and phone number, along with a short bio. The manuscript should include a second cover page with the title only. The author’s name should not appear anywhere else on the manuscript.
2. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, as long as we are informed immediately if a manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
3. The manuscript must be sent via email by February 25, 2020; manuscripts sent after this date will be unread.  The screening will be completed by March 19, 2020. All authors will be notified of the results via email.
4. There is no reading fee to submit.
5. Individual poems within the manuscript can be previously published as long as proper credit is given to the original publications.
6. Email your manuscript to: portagemagazine@gmail.com.  Please include your last name and “Portage Press submission” in the subject line.

Please contact us if you have any questions: portagemagazine@gmail.com. We look forward to reading your work!

The model:

Portage Press will be student-directed as part of Carroll University’s Literary Magazine Publishing course. The chosen author will have the opportunity to work with a talented team of editors and graphic designers dedicated to making the book the best it can be. The book will be supported by a social media team. The Press will be advised by Prof. B.J. Best.

The book will be printed through Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s print-on-demand service. The book will then be available for sale on Amazon. Kindle Direct offers high-quality printing at very reasonable prices.

The author’s payment will be 10 copies of the book plus 50% of the royalties Portage Press receives from Amazon. The author will also have the opportunity to purchase additional copies of the book at a rate of 50% of the list price.

In 2015, Portage Press published its first book, Essence by Peggy Trojan.

In 2017, Portage Press published Soup Stories by CLS Ferguson.

In 2018, Portage Press published Work Opportunities by Teresa Milbrodt.

In 2019, Portage Press published Everything Wrong Feels Right by Adrian S. Potter.

In 2020, Portage Press published One Hundred Breaths by James P. Roberts.