Black Lawrence Press is an imprint of Dzanc Books. Located in northern New York state, the publisher specializes in contemporary poetry and fiction. It is named for two rivers that grace upstate New York, the Black River and the St. Lawrence River. The Press is also in the same region as Lake Ontario.
Established in 2003, Black Lawrence Press has published the work of many modern writers in the relatively short period of time that it has been in existence. I Can Only Go As Fast As The Guy In Front of Me by Frank Matagrano and My Window Seat for Arlena Twigg by James Reidel are examples of the poetry collections published by the company.
In addition to publishing quality literature and poetry, Black Lawrence Press also runs four literary contests per year. The St. Lawrence Book Award offers a cash prize and publication to one writer each year. This award is meant for writers who have not previously published a book-length volume of work. Winners of the press' two Black River Chapbook Competitions are awarded 25 bound copies of their work in addition to a cash prize. The Hudson Prize, formerly the Ontario Prize, honors previously unpublished volumes of short stories and poetry. Winners of this prize receive a cash award and publication.
Black Lawrence Press is also the publisher of the literary magazine, The Adirondack Review. This magazine publishes quarterly issues of fiction, poetry, scholarly essays, artwork, book reviews, and film reviews. In fact, the publisher often publishes work by authors who were previously published in one or more issues of the magazine.
In 2008, the Black Lawrence Press was purchased by Dzanc Books, which also owns another small press, OV Books. Around the same time, Dzanc purchased the online literary journal Monkeybicycle. More information on the books released by this publisher or how to submit works to any of its contests can be found on the company's website.
