June Road Press

12/31/2023

Deep thanks to all who’ve read our books and otherwise supported this tiny press in the past year—and to the *many* talented poets who’ve submitted a manuscript during our open reading period, which closes at midnight tomorrow, January 1. It’s an honor and a joy to be part of this vibrant community. Cheers to more in 2024!

12/21/2023

Take a break from the holiday bustle and add some light to your week with our recent winter solstice reading, now posted on the press YouTube channel. Come for the poetry, stay for the poem literally catching on fire at about 1:15. We like to keep it interesting!🔥📖❄️ https://youtu.be/O3mEtgolgbE?feature=shared

12/15/2023

We’re delighted to share this eloquent praise for Hannah Lee-Jones’s WHEN I WAS THE WIND from Washington State Book Award judge Tiffany Midge. Thanks for recognizing this beautiful book, Washington State Library, and congratulations to the winners and fellow finalists!

12/08/2023

More good news: Diana Whitney’s gorgeous collection DARK BEDS made SPD’s poetry bestseller list again for November!

Don’t miss Electric Literature’s extended interview with Diana, published yesterday, for a thoughtful discussion about writing desire in middle age and some of the life experiences this book engages with so richly and resonantly.

https://electricliterature.com/diana-whitney-interview-book-poetry-collection-dark-beds/

https://www.spdbooks.org/Pages/Item/60244/Poetry-Bestsellers-November-2023.aspx

12/07/2023

We're thrilled to share this spectacular interview with Diana Whitney, just out today from Electric Literature, about her collection DARK BEDS. Well worth a read!

Diana Whitney, author of the poetry collection “Dark Beds,” on being a late bloomer in publishing and wanting to be seen

12/07/2023

Back by popular demand (or maybe just because we had so much fun the first time): Join us the night of Tuesday, December 19, for our second online reading—a calm and festive break from the holiday bustle to brighten up the darkest week of winter. It's free and will feature five incredible June Road Press poets! We’ll have a giveaway and plenty of time for Q&A and conversation. Register at bit.ly/juneroadpress-winter-reading.

12/07/2023

Our brilliant author Hannah Lee Jones has done it again: her poem “Longing Town,” from WHEN I WAS THE WIND, received a coveted Special Mention in the latest Pushcart Prize anthology. Want to listen to her read it? Check out our “extras” at www.juneroadpress.com/more/hannah-pushcart-special-mention.

Choosing poems to nominate from our authors each year is an honor—and a challenge! Here are our Pushcart nominations from this season and last:

Diana Whitney, from DARK BEDS:
• “Kindergarten Studies the Human Heart”
• “Dark Beds”
• “The Long Goodbye”

Mariella Saavedra Carquin, from MAPS YOU CAN’T MAKE:
• “I Swear There Was a River”
• “We Run in Burning Sands”
• “Wait”

Hila Ratzabi, from THERE ARE STILL WOODS:
• “How to Pray While the World Burns”
• “Crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge the Day Before the End of the World”
• “Visitation”

Hannah Lee Jones, from WHEN I WAS THE WIND:
• “Mortal Remains”
• “Longing Town”
• “Year of the Jackrabbit”

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! Our third annual winter open reading period kicks off today. We’re accepting manuscripts via Submittable through the rest of the holiday season, until January 1. Details at juneroadpress.com/submissions!

11/15/2023

Have you read either of our new books from this season? If so, you could do us the great favor of leaving a short review—or even just some stars!—on Goodreads, Amazon, or the press website if you bought a copy directly.🫶📚

If you haven’t explored these gorgeous collections and you’re curious, there are audio clips, blurbs, photos, author interviews, and fun extras at juneroadpress.com. And check out our previous books while you’re there—each one’s a deeply rewarding journey of its own, and you’ll get a good sense of what this tiny press is doing (with very little but elbow grease and love).

11/13/2023

Author Diana Whitney offers some hope and wisdom for aspiring writers—read more about her experience, influences, and writing philosophy in our short interview at juneroadpress.com/more, if you didn’t catch it earlier!

11/06/2023

In a nice bit of news, both our fall books made the SPD bestseller list for October—one for the third month in a row, the other despite a two-week distribution setback! Visit juneroadpress.com for all the details about these incredible collections and where to get them—and if you already have a copy, we’re so grateful for your support.

https://www.spdbooks.org/Pages/Item/60240/Poetry-Bestsellers-October-2023.aspx

https://www.juneroadpress.com/books

11/01/2023

Mariella Saavedra Carquin continues to dazzle with her incredible debut collection from September—like last Saturday, when she read at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver! 👏👏👏

Find out all about MAPS YOU CAN’T MAKE at https://www.juneroadpress.com/maps-you-cant-make.

11/01/2023

We're excited to share this video of Diana Whitney's launch event for DARK BEDS at the Brattleboro Literary Festival in Vermont on October 13—a treat for those of us who couldn't make it in person! Poet Cate Marvin reads first, followed by Diana (starting at 37:45).

Diana Whitney’s seductive second collection, Dark Beds, juxtaposes the conflicted emotions of motherhood and domesticity with the intoxicating promises of tr...

10/31/2023

Trick or treat? We think these books are worth swapping an entire haul of Reese’s Cups for—try them if you haven’t!

https://www.juneroadpress.com/bookstore

10/30/2023

DARK BEDS, fall leaves—a fitting farewell to October. This book is perfect for the season and really something special. Do you have a copy to curl up with? It’s finally available everywhere and ready to add to your shelf or to-read stack!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735678376?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_2K06RDCBZ7E45QGZGJFP

https://bookshop.org/p/books/dark-beds-diana-whitney/20069137?ean=9781735678375

https://www.juneroadpress.com/bookstore/p/dark-beds

10/28/2023

Curious about Diana Whitney’s new collection? Check out Independent Book Review’s starred review of DARK BEDS. This incredible book is finally available everywhere, including Amazon and Bookshop.org, after a distributor setback. Help us spread the word!

Full review here:
https://independentbookreview.com/2023/07/17/starred-book-review-dark-beds/

Amazon listing here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735678376?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_2K06RDCBZ7E45QGZGJFP

10/27/2023

Support independent literary publishers by picking a read from the list below, which features new books forthcoming in October 2023 from CLMP members.   A Belief in Cosmic Dailiness by Angela Acosta Red Ogre Review | October 1, 2023 Acosta’s poetry chapbook “roots space-age dreams in centuries-...

10/27/2023

If you’d like a copy of Diana Whitney’s luminous new collection, might we reluctantly suggest that you consider ordering from Amazon now that DARK BEDS is finally in stock there?

Things are tough right now. Poetry helps. We’re doing our best to put more of it out in the world with the care it warrants. If you’ve read this beautiful book, you could also help us out by leaving a review or spreading the word. And thanks, always, for reading. 📚❤️‍🩹

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735678376?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_2K06RDCBZ7E45QGZGJFP

10/26/2023

Don’t miss Hila Ratzabi reading this Sunday with these fabulous other poets!

Happening this Sunday!! Join us as we celebrate 8 Debut Poets! We will hear from the recent poetry collections of Safia Jama, Andrew Collard, Hila Ratzabi, India Lena González, Nicholas Goodly, Judy Katz, Jared Beloff, & Stephanie Laterza.

The reading will be held via Zoom on Sunday, October 29th from 4PM-5:30PM. You can sign up at this link: writerscenter.org/calendar/shpdebutpoetry/

10/16/2023

Did you catch our Q&A with author Mariella Saavedra Carquin? It includes great insights like this. Find that and more at our extras page, juneroadpress.com/more.

10/16/2023

This book really brings the October vibes. Diana Whitney’s poetry casts some subtle spell as it moves through the seasons and cycles of life, full of ache and everyday magic, leaving you richer for the reading. 🍂🕯️📖

Get a copy of DARK BEDS from us at juneroadpress.com/bookstore for $2 off *plus* free shipping for a little while longer—we’ve extended the launch party flash sale until a distributor glitch resolves and the online retail listings are available!

10/13/2023

Our loss is your gain: a distributor glitch has meant that DARK BEDS is showing up as unavailable from online retailers this week, but you can get a perfect copy directly from us (with love and a bookmark) at juneroadpress.com/bookstore—now for $2 off *plus* free shipping!

If you’ve been on the fence about trying one of our new fall books, now’s your chance, because they’re both on sale. This weekend only! Support a small press and its magnificent poets! 🎉📚⚡️

10/12/2023

Diana Whitney will be part of the Brattleboro Literary Festival this week! She’s reading with decorated poet Cate Marvin at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by a literary soirée and book launch party. If you’ll be in Vermont, come join in the celebration! 🥳🥂🍂

https://brattleborolitfest.org/

10/11/2023

Southern Vermont independent news outlet The Commons published a fabulous extended feature on Diana Whitney today! Check it out in the Arts section at https://www.commonsnews.org/issue/735/735Whitney_book-16 for more about the exceptionally talented author of DARK BEDS. 🤩📚

10/11/2023

Good news: Mariella Saavedra Carquin’s MAPS YOU CAN’T MAKE made the SPD bestseller list again for September! Thanks to all who’ve ordered this incredible collection and helped to launch it into the world more widely. 🎉📚

https://www.spdbooks.org/Pages/Item/60231/Poetry-Bestsellers-September-2023.aspx

https://www.juneroadpress.com/maps-you-cant-make

10/10/2023

Diana Whitney’s DARK BEDS is officially here! We think it’s the perfect October book, and you might too. Get a copy shipped free from us this week at juneroadpress.com/bookstore with the promo code LAUNCHPARTY and cozy up with this resplendent collection as the season changes. 🍂🥂🍂

10/10/2023

It’s publication day for Diana Whitney’s DARK BEDS! The poetry you’ll encounter in this book is exquisite and honest, tender and tough, clear-eyed and passionate at once, of the body and the earth. Let this lush, evocative collection enrich your journey through the changing season—it’s an experience to savor. Get all the details at juneroadpress.com/dark-beds.

Buying a copy directly from juneroadpress.com is a great way to support what we do! Get free shipping on any order from the press shop this week with the promo code LAUNCHPARTY.*

* Note that some retailers might show the book as temporarily out of stock this week because of preorders and our distributor’s warehouse relocation; that should resolve soon, and you can always order directly from the press.