Seventh Annual Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize
Prizes
- $1,000
- $500
- $250
Timeline and Details
- Letterpress broadside of winning poem: Gary Young, Greenhouse Review Press
- Winners & Finalists published in Red Wheelbarrow
- Finalists announced September 15th, winners October 1st.
- Publication-launch and prize celebration: Tuesday, December 12th at 7:00 PM
- Works/San Jose, community art and performance center, 38 South 2nd Street, San José
Submission Instructions
- Submit up to three original unpublished poems at submittable.com.
- One $15 submission fee good for all three poems; upload all poems in one fle, please.
- Each poem must fit onto one 8.5 x 11 page. Yes, simultaneous submissions accepted.
- No author name on text or in file name.
- Co-sponsors: Poetry Center San José & Red Wheelbarrow.
- Deadline, 11:59 PM, Pacifc Daylight Time, July 31st, 2023
About Ellen Bass
Ellen Bass’s most recent collection, Indigo, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. Her other poetry books include Like a Beggar, The Human Line, and Mules of Love. Her poems appearfrequently in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. Among her awards are Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The NEA, and The California Arts Council, The Lambda Literary Award, and four Pushcart Prizes. She co-edited the first major anthology of women’s poetry, No More Masks!, and her nonfiction books include the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth. A Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets, Bass founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and the Santa Cruz, California jails, and teaches in the MFA writing program at Pacific University.
Red Wheelbarrow Launch 2022:
Poetry, Prizes, Art, Broadsides and More!
- Tuesday Evening, December 13, 2022
- 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. PST
2022 Red Wheelbarrow National Edition
To best view this file, open it in Acrobat and then from drop-down VIEW menu (in “PAGE DISPLAY”) select “Two Page View.” Left pages should be even numbered. If they’re not, then from drop-down VIEW menu again (in “PAGE DISPLAY)” you need to also select "Show Cover Page in Two Page View."Brought to You By Red Wheelbarrow, Poetry Center San José, Works/San José, and the
Well-RED Reading Series
Two ways to attend this hybrid event:
- Attend in person and we hope you will!
- Refreshments served, broadsides and books available
- Eventbrite (free) tickets for in-person admission
- Works/San José Art and Performance Center
38 South Second Street, downtown San Jose, off of E. Santa Clara Street - Facebook new gallery/venue
- Zoom
- Zoom registration to attend remotely
- Facebook PCSJ event page
December 13, 2022 Launch Event Flyer
2022 Poetry Prize Press Release
Red Wheelbarrow Prize: Guidelines, 2022
Submissions open through July 31st
2021 Red Wheelbarrow National Edition
The 2021 Red Wheelbarrow National Edition features finalist and winning poems from the 2021 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize (judged this year by Mark Doty); art by Nye' Lyn Tho, Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, Scott Miller, and Barbara Lawrence; an edited 2006 archival interview with Gary Snyder by De Anza students; substantive interviews with poet Stephen Kuusisto and poet & translator David Allen Sullivan, including several of his original poems as well as translations of poetry from the Uyghur, Chinese, and Arabic; new work by inmates from Salinas Valley State Prison including a feature on inmate Jessica Diana Garza's "art and poetry of transformation," curated by Rose Black; and a variety of new works of poetry from around the U.S. and the world, including Lebanon and Myanmar.
2021 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize Winners and Finalists Press Release
Click to view or download the 2021 National Edition.
The De Anza campus is now partially open and starting in January, Red Wheelbarrow will again be available in the Campus Bookstore. Print editions of Red Wheelbarrow magazine (current and back issues) are also available for purchase at this time by contacting editor Ken Weisner by email at weisnerken@fhda.edu for details. If you read by downloading the PDF (2021 PDF) make sure to read the journal in "two page view" in Acrobat with "show cover page" selected in order to create a proper facsimile of the book's facing pages. Poetry Prize press releases and book cover files are also posted here below. Thank you for reading and supporting Red Wheelbarrow.
Red Wheelbarrow
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
- William Carlos Williams (1923)
Red Wheelbarrow, the De Anza College literary magazine, appears each year in both a National and a Student Edition.
The National Edition, published each fall, is open to poets and writers from around the country and the world. The national edition also sponsors the annual Red Wheelbarrow Prize for poetry. The national edition of Red Wheelbarrow accepts unsolicited submissions September 1st through February 15th at weisnerken@fhda.edu. However, the annual poetry prize deadline through Submittable.com is July 31st. Submit here! See flier above for more detailed guidelines about the prize. See here below for further information related to the National Edition. Thanks for your interest!
The Student Edition, published each spring, is open only to submissions from student writers & artists enrolled at De Anza College. See below for student edition information.
- Please check out our dedicated student edition web page—to read the current student edition.
- Then follow the links to student readings to the Red Wheelbarrow YouTube Channel page.
- Hard copies available once campus opens :-)
- See dedicated student edition web page for submission dates and instructions
- The Red Wheelbarrow 2020 National Edition Launch ZOOM reading, was held December 8th, 2020, from 6:30-9:00 PM
- The Red Wheelbarrow student edition Launch ZOOM reading, was held Wednesday, June
24th, from 6:00-8:00 PM.
The 2020 Red Wheelbarrow National Edition (Download PDF Here) features finalist and winning poems from the 2020 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize (judged this year by Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar; art by Hank Willis
Thomas as well as Dorothy Atkins, Noah Berger, Mark Cooley, and Mark Harris; an interview
with Ellery Akers, author of Swerve: Environmentalism, Feminism, and Resistance; new work by inmates from Salinas Valley State Prison; and a range of new works of
prose, poetry, and translation by both local writers and those from around the country.
The De Anza campus remains closed at least through June, 2021. Print editions of Red Wheelbarrow magazine (current and back issues) are available for purchase at this time by contacting
editor Ken Weisner by email at weisnerken@fhda.edu for details. If you download the PDF make sure to read the journal in "two page view" with "show cover page" selected
in order to create a proper facsimile of the book's facing pages. Poetry Prize press
release and cover file also posted here below. Thank you for reading and supporting
Red Wheelbarrow. To enjoy the launch reading from December 8, 2020, held in Zoom and hosted by Rob
Pesich of Poetry Center San José, and Joe Miller of WORKS/San José, along with Ken Weisner, Caesar Kent, and Cindy White
from Red Wheelbarrow, please use this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeauVVU12oA&t=1617s


Red Wheelbarrow National Edition 2020
The 2020 Red Wheelbarrow National Edition features finalist and winning poems from the 2020 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize (judged this year by Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar; art by Hank Willis Thomas as well as Dorothy Atkins, Noah Berger, Mark Cooley, and Mark Harris; an interview with Ellery Akers, author of Swerve: Environmentalism, Feminism, and Resistance; new work by inmates from Salinas Valley State Prison; and a range of new works of prose, poetry, and translation by both local writers and those from around the country. The De Anza campus remains closed at least through June, 2021. Print editions of Red Wheelbarrow magazine (current and back issues) are available for purchase at this time by contacting editor Ken Weisner by email at weisnerken@fhda.edu for details. If you download the PDF make sure to read the journal in "two page view" with "show cover page" selected in order to create a proper facsimile of the book's facing pages. Poetry Prize press release and cover file also posted here below. Thank you for reading and supporting Red Wheelbarrow. To enjoy the launch reading from December 8, 2020, held in Zoom and hosted by Rob Pesich of Poetry Center San José, and Joe Miller of WORKS/San José, along with Ken Weisner, Caesar Kent, and Cindy White from Red Wheelbarrow, please use this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeauVVU12oA&t=1617s
2019 Winners, Third Annual Poetry Prize.
Poetry Center San José and Red Wheelbarrow Magazine are pleased to announce the winners of the third annual Red Wheelbarrow poetry prize.
Marilyn Chin was this year’s final judge.
- 1st Prize: “Timing,” by Sandra McPherson of Davis, California
- 2nd Prize: “Linocut with Intensive Care Unit,” by Amy Miller of Ashland, Oregon
- 3rd Prize: “Lingua Franca,” by Lisa Allen Ortiz of Santa Cruz, California
These poets received awards of $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively, and Felicia Rice
of
Moving Parts Press has produced original broadside of Lynne Ellis's "Seamstress"
2019 Finalists: “Bitter Fruit,” Margaret Chula, Portland, OR
“The End Comes,” Brennan DeFrisco, Martinez, CA
“After the War,” Susan Kelly-Dewitt, Sacramento, CA
“In the Valley of Ashes,” Erin Donnelly, Lisle, IL
“The Shirt,” Peter Bloch Garcia, Seattle, WA
“I’m in Love with the California Condor,” Jean Prokott, Rochester, MN
“In the beginning the bodies were too soft,” John Sibley Williams, Milwaukie, OR
The third annual Red Wheelbarrow Prize received over 1300 poems from 450 writers.
***
2018 Winners, Second Annual Poetry Prize.
Poetry Center San José and Red Wheelbarrow Magazine are pleased to announce the winners of the second annual Red Wheelbarrow poetry prize.
Naomi Shihab Nye was this year’s final judge.
- 1st Prize: “Seamstress,” by Lynne Ellis of Seattle, Washington
- 2nd Prize: “The Way Velázquez Used Light,” by Carine Topal of La Quinta, California
- 3rd Prize: “The Pomegranate,” by Stephanie Duhem of Boston, Massachusetts
These poets received awards of $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively, and Felicia Rice
of
Moving Parts Press has produced original broadside of Lynne Ellis's "Seamstress"
2018 Finalists: “Essential Chili Peppers of Mexican Cooking,” J.D. Amick
“The House with the Piano,” Lynne Ellis
“The Thinking of It,” Mika Kligler
“How is Home,” Lisa Ludden
“Of Frogs,” Seth Simons
The second annual Red Wheelbarrow Prize received over 1600 poems from 574 writers.
***
2017 Winners: Inaugural Prize. Ellen Bass was this year’s final judge.
- 1st Prize: “Pop a Wheelie,” by Partridge Boswell of Woodstock, Vermont
- 2nd Prize: “Dancing,” by Matt Terhune of Los Angeles, California
- 3rd Prize: “What My Mother Meant to Say That Night,” by John Sibley Williams of Portland, Oregon
These poets will receive awards of $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively, and Gary Young
of
Greenhouse Review Press will produce an original broadside of Partridge Boswell’s
winning
poem, “Pop a Wheelie.”
2017 Finalists: “Black Bear” Philip Arnold; “Cityscape with Rainbows,” Lauren Goldstein;
“Brother Mockingbird,” Susan Kelly-DeWitt; “Praise to the Sewers of Lvov,” Donald
Levering;
“Mall Run,” Jane Miller; “How We All Came to Be Here,” John Sibley Williams
The first annual Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize received 650 poem submissions from 225 writers.
To Order Current or Back Issues
Send e-mail request today to: weisnerken@deanza.edu
In the body of your e-mail, please indicate:
- MAILING ADDRESS
- WHICH ISSUE(S) YOU WANT
- THE QUANTITY YOU ARE ORDERING
Follow up that same day by mailing a check PAYABLE TO RED WHEELBARROW @ $16.00 PER ISSUE (this includes domestic shipping and handling) to the following address:
RED WHEELBARROW MAGAZINE
DE ANZA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
21250 STEVENS CREEK BOULEVARD
CUPERTINO, CA
95014
You can also do this process entirely by USPS. Include all the information listed above with your request.
We will fulfill your order within 7-10 days.
Students: Join the Red Wheelbarrow
STUDENTS: To join the staff of Red Wheelbarrow—sign up for EWRT 65/68)
(The class meets from 4:00-5:50 Monday afternoons. The online staff option is EWRT 65AX and 68AX).
- EWRT 1B: HOT OFF THE PRESS—"Literary Magazine, National Edition"—is taught most winter
quarters (January through March). The magazine is published each Fall.
- Not taught in 2021 (instructor on leave winter quarter, 2021)
- EWRT 68A/AX—"Literary magazine, Student Edition"—is taught spring quarter (April through June). This De Anza student magazine is published each June.
Submission Guidelines
Deadlines: Submissions accepted between September 1st and February 15th for the National Edition (and May 20th for the Student Edition).
Submission guidelines: Submissions by post or e-mail. Digital submissions encouraged. Simultaneous submissions acceptable if indicated. Two to six month response time for National Edition. E-mail submissions as WORD or RTF attachments to weisnerken@fhda.edu.
Contact:
Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine
De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014-5702
- Poetry: up to 5 poems
- Fiction: 1 short story (up to 5,000 words), or up to 3 short-shorts
- Plays: 1 dramatic piece up to 5,000 words
- Creative Nonfiction: 1 piece up to 5,000 words
- Photographs/Drawings (student edition only*): up to 5 prints or digital files. *Do not send originals. We require B&W work for the inside of the magazine, but color may be considered for the cover.
- Comics: 1 brief graphic story
National edition contributors: Please include a brief autobiographical statement. For snail mail submissions, enclose an SASE and/or an email address for reply.
Student edition contributors: Please do not include your name on the manuscript itself, only in cover letter or body of e-mail. All work (including work submitted by Red Wheelbarrow staff members) is judged anonymously.
Requirements for Video Submissions:
- Film the video in landscape
- Put each piece in a separate video
- Maximum 3 video submissions that are no more than 10 minutes total
- Ex. submit either one ten minute video or three three-minute videos
- Make sure your face is well lit
- Make sure audio is clear and minimal background noise
- Make sure to introduce the poem by saying your name clearly an the poem title s well. It’s OK to very briefly introduce whatever you are reading too J
- A few video Ideas:
- Just film yourself reading your poem/fiction piece
- Make a creative video that complements your piece and do a voiceover of you reading your piece in the background
- Come up with your own creative idea
How to create an unlisted YouTube video*
1. Go to https://www.youtube.com/
2. Sign in to your YouTube account
3. Click Create in the top right of the page.
4. Select Upload Video.
6. Customize video details (title, description, etc.).
7. Click the Visibility section of the menu
8. Select Unlisted and copy the video link.
9. Email the link to weisnerken@fhda.edu.
Poets and Writers listing for Red Wheelbarrow
Red Wheelbarrow Facebook Page
Editor: Ken Weisner, weisnerken@deanza.edu
http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/weisnerken