White Pine Press: Defunct, Non-Response Offender
White Pine Press is a non-profit publisher that has been around since 1973, and seems to have a good reputation for publishing quality poetry.
However, they have one feature that appears highly problematic or suspicious: their poetry contest. Submissions for this contest have been open since at least 2021, and as far as one can tell from browsing their website, they have never released the winner nor announced any shortlist. Furthermore, the page of information for the poetry prize has remain unchanged during this time, seeking paid submissions for at least two years, without the website being updated or the contest being closed.
On their website, White Pine Press displays the following information for the White Pine Press Poetry Prize:
- Open for submissions on July 1 - no year given.
- Award is $1,000 cash and publication - no mention of when this would be announced.
- Soliciting manuscripts which must be postmarked by November 30th - again, no year mentioned.
- $20 "entry, reading and processing fee."
- Manuscripts are screened by the editorial staff, and winners are chosen by "a poet of national reputation" - apparently, this would be announced at the end of the competition. We found no information about who this final judge is anywhere on the website or Facebook page.
The Duotrope listing for White Pine Press contains very little information, and when one clicks through to the White Pine Press Poetry Prize, Duotrope says the following:
(Overall, the project does not qualify for a listing with Duotrope.)
While it's clear they have definitely published books of poetry in the past, it is unethical to leave a contest open in perpetuity with no announcements of results, and not only hurts writers but other presses and journals that operate with integrity.
Have you submitted your work to White Pine Press? If so, please share your experience below, or submit a response through our contact form.
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