The Backwaters Press
Founded in 1997, the Backwaters Press has worked to produce award-winning books by some of America’s finest authors. The University of Nebraska Press acquired Backwaters in 2018, adding an impressive backlist in poetry and prose that contributes to the cultural landscape of our state and region. As a general interest imprint of UNP, Backwaters continues to build on roots planted firmly in the Great Plains, delighting readers with literature of enduring value and consequence.
The Backwaters Prize, an international poetry book competition, was initiated in 1998 and continues under the auspices of UNP. Contest winners are chosen by distinguished American poets; past judges include Hayden Carruth (National Book Award, National Book Circle Critics Award), Philip Levine (National Book Award, two Pulitzer Prizes), and Ted Kooser (Poet Laureate of the United States, Pulitzer Prize winner).
Visit the Backwaters Prize page for more information and for an electronic submission link.
Join our mailing list to receive updates about this competition and the Backwaters Press.
Subjects
Featured Books
From the UNP Blog
From the Desk of Hal Elliot Wert: Campaign Posters of 2016
The following contribution is by Hal Elliot Wert, author of George McGovern and the Democratic Insurgents (Nebraska, 2015). Wert is a professor emeritus of history at the Kansas University Art Institute. Many of you purchased George McGovern and the Democratic Insurgents (GMDI) and followed the trail of posters up through [...]
Happy Book Birthday to The Integration of the Pacific Coast League!
Book Birthdays celebrate one year of a book’s life in tweets, reviews, and more. This June we’re saying Happy First Book Birthday to Amy Essington’s The Integration of the Pacific Coast League! About the Book: While Jackie Robinson’s 1947 season with the Brooklyn Dodgers made him the first African Ameri [...]