Our Prose Selection for 2016

London coffeehouse c. 1705 via Public Domain Review

After announcing our poetry selections last month, Augury is happy to reveal its selections for prose today. The editors’ reading period for prose submissions was equally intense, but also equally gratifying. To be sure, selecting one manuscript out of dozens of strong submissions never gets easier. It is with pleasure that we announce Sara Schaff’s short story collection Say Something Nice About Me as our prose selection for 2016. Below are the finalists whose work we will feature in the coming weeks:

Alley Stories—Nona Caspers

Everything Beautiful—Sarah Pape

Girl with a Goat’s Voice—Nate Liederbach

Grieving for Guava—Cecilia Fernandez

Home for Wayward Girls—Melanie Bishop

In Josaphat’s Valley—Joshua Bernstein

Mick Jagger’s Green Eyed Daughter…—Elizabeth Denton

Stick-Light—Joshua Bernstein

Swarm—Harmony Button

The Heart is a Slow Learner—Mary Larkin Phd

The World is All that Does Befall Us—Thomas Walton—Too Smart for her Own Good—Evelyn Somers

True Love and Other Dreams of…—Micah Perks

Wee Hours—Ellen Winter

Woman, Running Late, in a Dress—Dallas Woodburn

Stay tuned for excerpts from each of our fourteen finalists, as well as from Sara Schaff!

"someone is collecting the lost" by Poetry Finalist Aimee Herman

 

Aimee Herman is the author of two full length books of poetry, “meant to wake up feeling” and “to go without blinking” and currently teaches writing in the Bronx. Read more words at aimeeherman.wordpress.com.

Our Poetry Selection for 2016

In the Giant’s Lair (1892) by Gerhard Munthe, Wikimedia Commons

Following a plentiful reading period full of outstanding work, Augury Books is very happy to announce Arisa White‘s you’re the most beautiful thing that happened as our poetry selection for 2016. We received so many great submissions, and paring down one manuscript from our finalist pool was a difficult feat. We are glad to highlight the work of our poetry finalists here:

Architect, Garden by Andrew Seguin

brightness this by Franciszka Voeltz

I Wanted Everything by Elizabeth Whittlesey

Majnun by Mark Faunlagui

Pinocchio: The Whale Years by Patrick Moran

Schematics for Manhood & Flight by Joe Jimenez

Snow Farmer by Benjamin Gantcher

there are some things that are easier to mention by Aimee Herman

When I Was an Octopus by Gregg Murray

On behalf of the editors, we thank you all for your extended patience. Stay tuned for more on Arisa, an excerpt from her manuscript, excerpts from several of our finalists, and a prose selection in November!

Reading Period Closed—Thank you for sending us your work!

From ‘France in the year 2000,’ courtesy of the Public Domain Review

Thank you very much to everyone who sent your work to us for consideration for 2016 publication, and those of you who helped spread the word and share with your friends and writing contacts.

We will be posting updates later this year after we consider everyone’s work. Follow our blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter for updates on finalists and publication selections.

Halina Duraj at the Federal Dust Reading Series

Halina Duraj, author of The Family Cannon (Augury Books, 2014), will be reading at the Federal Dust Reading Series on August 1st. Hosted by Matthew Zingg, the event will take place at Litmore in Baltimore, Maryland. Authors featured during this event include Eric NelsonAlicia Puglionesi, and Michael B. Tager. For more details, see the reading series’ site!

More on THE FAMILY CANNON

 

Only one more day left in our open reading period for poetry and prose!

Submit now via Submittable, and thank you for your interest in Augury Books!

Three Days Left to Send Us Your Work!

From Richard Dadd, The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke courtesy of the Public Domain Review

Just three more days left in our reading period! We are still accepting full-length manuscripts in the categories of poetry and prose—prose being short fiction collections or creative nonfiction essay collections. Find our detailed submission guidelines and easily submit your work—all by clicking on this Submittable link.

Thanks to all of you who have already shared your work with us, and thanks in advance to those who will be polishing up those manuscripts in these next three days to send to us. We can’t wait to read your manuscripts!

For automatic updates on this and other events, just follow this blog by clicking on the “Follow” prompt when you roll over the lower right corner. We’ll keep you posted on our selections for 2016 publication and share excerpts from our finalist manuscripts.

Have friends who might want to submit? Let them know!

 

Augury Books Partners With Literary Hub

A detail from “Shells and other Marine Life from Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (1734),” courtesy of the Public Domain Review

Augury is excited to announce our new partnership with Literary Hub! A joint project of Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature, LitHub works with publishers, bookstores, journals, and non-profits to bring together online literary content, providing a platform for smart and engaging writing regarding all things books. Learn more about LitHub here.

Only four more days left in our open reading period for poetry and prose!

Submit now via Submittable, and thank you for your interest in Augury Books!

Book Cover Debut: Randall Horton’s ‘Hook’

Hook cover

Original Cover Art by Michael Miller

Augury Books is excited to join Randall Horton and designer Michael Miller in unveiling the cover art for the upcoming Hook (2015).

Hook: A Memoir is a gripping story of transformation. Without excuse or indulgence, author and educator Randall Horton explores his downward spiral from unassuming Howard University undergraduate to homeless drug addict, international cocaine smuggler, and incarcerated felon—before showing us the redemptive role that writing and literature played in helping him reclaim his life. The multilayered narrative bridges past and present through both the vivid portrayal of Horton’s singular experiences and his correspondence in letters with the anonymous Lxxxx, a Latina woman awaiting trial. Hook explores race and social construction in America, the forgotten lives within the prison industrial complex, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Read author bio and praise for Hook.

Augury’s Reading Period Is Open for Prose and Poetry May 1 – July 31, 2015:

Submit now via Submittable, and thank you for your interest in Augury Books!

Half a Month Remaining in our Reading Period!

A detail from Journey from Venice to Palestine, Mount Sinai and Egypt (ca. 1467), courtesy of the Public Domain Review

We have just half a month left to our reading period, which is still open through July 31, 2015. We are currently accepting full-length manuscripts in the categories of poetry and prose. You can view our submission guidelines and send your work for consideration on Submittable.

Thanks to all of you in advance for sharing your work with us, and thanks to those who have already submitted their work this summer!

For automatic updates on this and other important Augury announcements, follow our Blog. Just click the “Follow” prompt when you roll over the lower right corner.

BEAST Wins WLT Book Award for Poetry

Frances Justine Post‘s BEAST (Augury Books, 2014) has been selected as this year’s Poetry Winner at the Writer’s League of Texas Book Awards! Formerly known as the Violet Crown Book Awards, the contest recognizes outstanding work published by writers based in Texas.

Founded in 1981, the WLT focuses on providing information, support and sharing among writers. WLT also offers free programming in libraries and local schools across the state.

For a full list of winners and finalists, see the WLT’s site.

More on BEAST

Augury’s Reading Period Is Open for Prose and Poetry May 1 – July 31, 2015:

Submit now via Submittable, and thank you for your interest in Augury Books!