Anhinga Press

Anhinga Press is an independent literary press based in Tallahassee, Florida, with a publishing focus centered on poetry. It originated in 1972 as an outgrowth of the Apalachee Poetry Center, a nonprofit organization established to encourage the reading, appreciation, and understanding of poetry. The press therefore emerged from a regional literary and cultural infrastructure rather than from a conventional commercial publishing house. Poet Van Brock expanded Anhinga Press's publishing activity in 1976, when the organization began issuing poetry chapbooks by poets from the Florida region. Between 1976 and 1981, it published eight chapbooks, helping establish a platform for regional writers and giving the press an initial identity as a small, poet-centered publisher. In 1981, Anhinga moved beyond short-form publications with its first full-length poetry book, Michael Mott's "Counting the Grasses." That transition marked the development of a broader publishing program capable of sustaining book-length collections as well as chapbooks. The press later developed a national poetry-publishing role. Its program includes books by winners of the Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize for Poetry, a national poetry competition, and the winner of the Levine Prize in Poetry, which is administered by California State University, Fresno. Anhinga also considers manuscripts submitted through its general submission process and publishes works selected by its board. This combination of contest-based acquisition, open submissions, and board selection gives the press a curated but varied list. Anhinga's published authors include Frank X. Gaspar, Janet Holmes, David Kirby, Judith Kitchen, Chad Sweeney, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ruth L. Schwartz, Robert Dana, Erika Meitner, Silvia Curbelo, and Diane Wakoski. The list reflects a concentration on contemporary poetry and literary writing, with contributors whose work has circulated through university, independent-press, and broader American poetry networks. The press's books and authors have received attention in literary venues including Mid-American Review, Poetry Flash, Rattle, Cold Front Magazine, and Story South. Poems and other work connected with Anhinga titles have also been featured by Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and the National Book Critics Circle blog Critical Mass. Some of its work has been reprinted in anthologies such as The Best American Poetry. These appearances indicate that Anhinga's role extends beyond producing books: it participates in the discovery, circulation, and critical visibility of contemporary poetry. Anhinga Press remains an independent literary publisher rather than a mass-market house. Its identity is built around poetry, relationships with poets and literary institutions, and the publication of prize-winning or board-selected manuscripts. Rick Campbell, a poet and author of four poetry collections, serves as the press's director. Publicly available reference material does not establish a corporate parent, ownership structure, revenue, employee count, or securities listing.

Anhinga Press began in 1972 as an extension of the Apalachee Poetry Center, a nonprofit poetry organization in Tallahassee, Florida. The center's emphasis was educational and cultural: it sought to promote the reading and understanding of poetry. Anhinga's early development was consequently tied to a local literary community and to the broader tradition of small presses serving writers who might not fit the commercial publishing market. In 1976, poet Van Brock expanded the organization's role by developing a publishing program for poetry chapbooks. From 1976 through 1981, the press issued eight chapbooks by regional Florida poets. These publications gave emerging and locally connected writers a formal outlet while establishing Anhinga's early editorial character. The chapbook format also suited the economics and audience of an independent literary press, allowing poetry to circulate in focused, relatively short collections. The press reached an important publishing milestone in 1981 with the release of Michael Mott's "Counting the Grasses," its first full-length volume of poems. The move from chapbooks to complete collections broadened the press's scope and created a foundation for a continuing book list. Over time, Anhinga became associated not only with Florida writers but also with a wider group of American poets. Its later program incorporated competitive and institutional channels for acquiring manuscripts. Anhinga publishes winners of the Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize for Poetry, a national poetry competition, and publishes the winner of the Levine Prize in Poetry, a prize administered by California State University, Fresno. It also accepts manuscripts through general submissions and publishes works selected by its board. These mechanisms combine open access for submitting poets with formal recognition and editorial curation. Authors associated with the press include Frank X. Gaspar, Janet Holmes, David Kirby, Judith Kitchen, Chad Sweeney, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ruth L. Schwartz, Robert Dana, Erika Meitner, Silvia Curbelo, and Diane Wakoski. Its books and authors have been reviewed or featured in literary publications and online poetry outlets such as Mid-American Review, Poetry Flash, Rattle, Cold Front Magazine, Story South, Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and Critical Mass, the National Book Critics Circle blog. Work from its publishing program has also appeared in anthologies including The Best American Poetry. Rick Campbell, who has authored four poetry collections, serves as director. Available reference material presents Anhinga as an active independent press, but does not provide a detailed account of its legal structure, ownership, finances, staff history, or publication totals. Its documented identity remains that of a Tallahassee-based poetry publisher with both regional origins and a national literary reach.

• 1981

  First full-length poetry volume

  [1]Anhinga Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Anhinga publishes Michael Mott's "Counting the Grasses," its first full-length volume of poems, following its earlier chapbook program.

• 1976

  Chapbook publishing begins

  [1]Anhinga Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Founder and poet Van Brock expands the press's role by publishing poetry chapbooks, initially emphasizing regional Florida poets.

• 1972

  Anhinga Press emerges from the Apalachee Poetry Center

  [1]Anhinga Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The press begins as an outgrowth of the Tallahassee-based nonprofit Apalachee Poetry Center, which promoted the reading and understanding of poetry.

An independent, poet-centered literary press that discovers and publishes contemporary poetry through national competitions, open submissions, and editorial selection, while maintaining roots in Florida's regional poetry community.

• Poetry publishing · 1976

  Poetry chapbooks

  Anhinga's early publishing program consisted of short poetry chapbooks, including eight volumes issued between 1976 and 1981 by regional Florida poets. The format helped the young independent press support local writers and circulate focused bodies of work without the scale of a conventional full-length book program.

• Poetry publishing · 1981

  Full-length poetry collections

  The press expanded into book-length poetry in 1981 with Michael Mott's "Counting the Grasses." Full-length collections remain central to Anhinga's identity and include manuscripts selected through competitions, general submissions, and the press board's editorial process.

• Prize-based poetry publishing

  Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize for Poetry books

  Anhinga publishes the winners of the Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize for Poetry, a national poetry competition. The prize provides a formal route for a selected manuscript to enter the press's book list and extends Anhinga's acquisition activity beyond its Florida origins.

• Prize-based poetry publishing

  Levine Prize in Poetry book

  The press publishes the winner of the Levine Prize in Poetry, a competition administered by California State University, Fresno. The arrangement connects Anhinga's publishing program with an external literary institution and a recognized manuscript-selection process.

1. 1Anhinga Pressen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Anhinga Press official websiteanhingapress.org