C&R Press began in 2006 as a literary press committed to publishing books from new and emerging poets whose work might otherwise be ignored by commercial publishers. We were interested in supporting authors whose thoughtful and imaginative contribution to contemporary literature deserved recognition and support. We wanted to support mid-career writers as well, and to further that goal, we ran the Open Series contest in 2007 and 2008, along with our first poetry book contest, the DeNovo Award.
In 2009, C&R discontinued the Open Series and began a free open reading period (May 31-Dec 31). As part of our growing interest in supporting the best work we could find, we began considering poetry, fiction, and non-fiction submissions. Our agreement to have all new C&R titles be distributed by Ingram helped this new focus on multi-genre writing.
From our inception, C&R has been active in the community. We currently offer free community writing workshops on publishing, literary editing, business writing, and creative writing in Sarasota and Chattanooga. In the near future, we hope to expand our commitment by offering workshops in Atlanta, Tampa, and throughout the Southeast. We're open to partnering with other people and/or organizations to bring this about.
In 2008, C&R made the move to becoming a green company. We prefer all correspondence to be done electronically. We also now require all submissions--including contest submissions--to be submitted via email. We choose to be responsible about our environmental impact on the planet and are open to suggestions on how we can improve on this commitment.