The Brigham Award for Women Writers is not currently accepting submissions.

Commemorating Brigham's work and memory, the Brigham Award is Lost Roads’ continuous project to publish books of poems by women writers living away from the largest urban centers. Winners receive $500, publication, and ample copies of their book.

Before you submit, please consider what we have already published as the best understanding of what we may publish in the future. Read the most recent books Lost Roads has published and read Editor Susan Scarlata discussing the first Brigham Award winner.

Process

Guest judges work with Lost Roads Editor to select one manuscript to publish. Manuscripts are read blind.

Past Judges:
2018 - Carolyn Hembree & Joan Kane
2017 - Andrea Rexilius & Eric Baus
2016 - John Keene & Eleni Sikelianos
2015 - Aaron McCullough & Kristin Prevallet
2014 - Brian Blanchfield & Arda Collins
2012 - Danielle Pafunda & Prageeta Sharma

To Submit

STEP 1: Remove your name and contact info from your manuscript.

STEP 2: Title your manuscript and the "Subject" of your email like so: BB.Award.Title.of.My.Manuscript.5.13 (.doc or .pdf). Email info(at)lostroads(dot)org with a manuscript of at least 50 pages of poetry. Include your name, address, contact information, and a bio in the body of the email — the only place contact information should appear.

STEP 3: Pay the $20 submission fee via PayPal. This will not pay salaries or readers — we all volunteer. It will support quality writing.

STEP 4: That’s it. We can't wait to read what you send! Expect to hear from us by XX.

About Besmilr Brigham

Besmilr Brigham (1913-2000) was an "outsider writer" who shirked well-trodden paths. In a lifetime spent across the Southern U.S. and Mexico she was always writing; her work appeared in Harpers and New Directions and was stored in broken refrigerators and other appliances. A selection of her work, Run Through Rock, is available through Lost Roads.

Eligibility

Poetic manuscripts are accepted by women living in rural areas or away from the coasts in small cities with less than a million people. Women living outside the U.S. please query: info@lostroads.org.