Pushcart Nominations
The Pushcart Prize confuses me. Here’s what they say about it:
‘Little magazine and small book press editors may make up to six nominations from their year’s publications by our December 1 deadline. The nominations may be any combination of poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot. Editors may nominate self-contained portions of books — for instance, a chapter from a novel. We welcome translations, reprints and both traditional and experimental writing. One copy of each selection should be sent. No nominations can be returned. There is no entry fee. We also accept nominations from our staff of permanent, distinguished Contributing Editors.’
Which makes perfect sense, but I’ve never managed to understand the timeline of the nomination process and so when I get nominated I just forget about it. Presumably somebody tells the lucky folk who make the cut.
This year, Moondance have nominated my essay Oyster-Colored Satin for a Pushcart. I’m very honoured and will promptly not think about it again until the publication date comes round in about fourteen months!
1 Comment
B.A. Goodjohn
4th December 2006I lifted this from http://www.pw.org/mag/newsdavis101.htm:
“After the copies are received, the goal becomes to narrow down the 8,000 or more submissions to approximately 30 prose selections and 30 poems. The process reaches its peak in the months of February and March, when Henderson begins to read and reread the fiction, Anthony Brandt reads the essays, and two poetry editors, rotated each year, cull the verse selections. Poetry editors over the years have included Billy Collins, Jonathan Galassi, Jorie Graham, Robert Hass, Joan Murray, and Grace Schulman.”
I think you all find out if you made the cut in May.