The Pittsburgh Review of Books is excited to announce that Carnegie Mellon University Press is establishing a new series in creative nonfiction to be edited by PRoB founder Ed Simon. (Submission information and links here).
Initially founded by Gerald Costanzo as Three Rivers Press, Carnegie Mellon University Press (CMUP) has been a major voice in publishing contemporary literature — especially poetry — since 1972.
In 1986, the press published Rita Dove’s Thomas and Beulah, making it one of approximately 30 presses in the country to ever produce a Pulitzer Prize-winning book of poetry, and one of the smallest presses to produce a Pulitzer winner in any category.
Among the highlights of the Press’s history is publishing Rita Dove’s Pulitzer Prize winning collection Thomas and Beulah, in addition to early Ted Kooser and Stephen Dunn; National Book Award winners like Jean Valentine, Denis Johnson and Terrance Hayes; and many other renowned writers.
In 2024, Carnegie Mellon University Press expanded into other areas of print and digital publishing, but through its literature imprint maintains a strong commitment to amplify both emerging and established voices who bring fresh perspectives to contemporary literature, with a particular focus on poetry, drama and literary fiction, both in English and in translation. To that end, the press is excited to now feature creative nonfiction as well.
Eligibility
Collections of essays and full length creative nonfiction books will be considered if they meet the following criteria:
- The submitted work must be in English, regardless of the citizenship of the author.
- Eligible submissions are limited to proposals for works of creative nonfiction, either an anthology of essays or full-length books. Proposals should include a detailed description of the potential project of no less than a thousand words, along with estimations of a work’s final word count, a potential table of contents, a writing sample (preferably from the anticipated project) of 3,000-5,000 words, and an author’s CV.
- All projects must be sent as proposals, even if they are already completed.
- Essays previously published in magazines or journals or in book form as part of an anthology are eligible.
- Preference is given to submissions that can be broadly categorized as within the public humanities, which is to say that these projects are intended to illuminate some aspect of academic discussion (within literary study, history, philosophy, art criticism, etc.) but that these works can still be classified as within the genre of creative nonfiction. Conventional memoirs are discouraged.
- No generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in the drafting, development, or creation of this work. All poems and fiction elements including characters, plots, and prose are entirely the product of the author’s imagination.
Submissions
Manuscripts for the Creative Nonfiction Series should be sent during the annual submission period of August 15 – September 15. All submissions must be sent through our Submittable system, which allows you to enter your manuscript, provide your contact information, and check the status of your submission.
Submission Fee
Each manuscript must be accompanied by a $25.00 fee, paid through Submittable at the time of your submission.
Simultaneous Submissions
Manuscripts being considered by other publishers are allowed, but if a manuscript is accepted for publication elsewhere, please notify the Press, and withdraw your manuscript through Submittable.
