ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS THROUGH AUGUST 15, 2025, 11:59 P.M.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT VIA GOOGLE FORM
Tuleburg Press gratefully acknowledges funding from the Stockton Arts Commission to inaugurate an annual poetry chapbook series. Our mission is to find, mentor, and publish local writers of all ages.
Dubbed the “ChapLip Library” by Tuleburg Board Member and Stockton Poet Laureate Emerita Tama Brisbane, the series calls for work from Stockton poets.
The nonprofit publishing company plans to offer this chapbook competition every year to ensure that Stockton poets have ample opportunity to see their work in print.
Six poets will be selected each to receive $250, mentoring by an established writer, and 100 copies of their chapbook. One poet will be published per chapbook. The submissions will be read and judged blind by a committee of Tuleburg Press Board Members and established poets.
REQUIREMENT
Stockton resident, any age, established or emerging poet. Must include proof of Stockton residency. No cost to apply. Former ChapLip Library winners are not eligible.
INSTRUCTIONS
The poetry can be in any form and tackle any subject.
Poems can be in any language, though the poet should make sure that the work presented is free of grammatical or mechanical errors. We want the process to go as smoothly as possible from submission to press. If you want your poem to be published in the original language and an English translation, it will count as two (2) poems submitted. If you want your poem published in its original, non-English form only, please include an English translation for the judges to fairly complete the blind reading. New or unpublished work only. Poems published on internet poetry sites or on social media, including Instagram, are considered “previously published.”
Submit up to 20 poems, or 20 pages of prose, in the order you would like to see them published. You are not limited to a number of lines, but bear in mind that longer works take multiple pages. The editors will select the poems to print if length and number are an issue. The chapbook will include the copyright page, the table of contents, dedications, acknowledgments, author bio and picture. The finished size will be 6 inches by 9 inches with a full-color cover on cardstock and black ink only inside on text paper.
Specifics:
- Title your manuscript.
- Submit poems with titles in one contiguous, paginated, 6”x9” word document with a working Table of Contents.
- Choose Arial 12-point for text, 14-point for titles.
- Choose to use either All Caps or First Letter Cap for all titles.
- But do not bold or underline titles.
- Do not put your name on any of the poems.
- As a separate word document, submit a max. 150-word bio.
- As a separate file, submit a 300 dpi (1200 x 1800 pixels) black and white headshot.
- Optional, include a dedication.
- Submit 6×9 inch color cover artwork or photograph with a signed and dated “permission to use” form if the work is not yours. That artist or photographer will be acknowledged in the chapbook. Do not submit artwork from the Internet. If you use AI (artificial intelligence) to create artwork, it must be disclosed).
- A submitted entry that does not meet eligibility or adhere to the guidelines will be rejected.
TIMELINE/DEADLINE
Deadline for submission, August 15, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Selection announcement will be by September 1, 2025. Publication is slated for October 2025 as part of the Words Outspoken Lit Fest.
SUBMIT
Click here to submit your content via Google Form.