If reading though 88 manuscripts and choosing 6 for the longlist was hard, narrowing down the decision from there was even harder. I spent time with each of the six manuscripts, printed them out and read through them with a pen in hand. I underlined stanzas I loved and lines that made my breath catch. I jotted notes in the margins. I took a few days and reflected on what drew me to each manuscript – what were the lines that I kept coming back to? What were the poems I wanted to read and reread?
It was not an easy decision but I am excited to present the two poets and their manuscripts chosen from the first open submission period:
You can learn a little more about Kimberly on her website and check out Laura on her website. Full interviews will be forthcoming, in the meantime be sure to follow them on social media!
I was wowed by each of these manuscripts and I think they will be amazing additions to the Riot in Your Throat family, I can’t wait to bring these books into the world!