Autumn House Press is an independent, non-profit literary publishing company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The press concentrates “on publishing the work of excellent contemporary writers who have a following among readers, but whose work has been overlooked by commercial publishers.” It “is dedicated to producing beautifully designed, well-manufactured books on acid-free paper, as well as electronic texts of comparable quality.” , Editor-in-Chief, also highlights the benefits of Autumn House being an indie press: "As a nonprofit, we are able to publish books we believe will have an impact on a greater audience, books that will make some kind of difference." Autumn House Press was founded in 1998 by Michael Simms when prominent American publishers, driven by economic concerns, dramatically reduced their poetry lists. As a result, influential contemporary poets were left struggling to find publishers. Over time, Autumn House started publishing fiction and nonfiction titles as well. Since its founding, Autumn House has published over 100 titles, including full-length collections of poetry, short stories, and essays as well as memoirs, novels, anthologies, and poetry chapbooks, most of which are still in print. In 2016, founder and then editor in chief Michael Simms retired after 18 impressive years. Christine Stroud took on the role of editor in chief and Melissa Becker became board president. Simms now edits , an online journal of poetry, politics and nature. The press publishes books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction by such authors as , Ellery Akers, , George Bilgere, Chana Bloch, , Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, Sherrie Flick, Frank X. Gaspar, , , , Ada Limón, Ed Ochester, , , Gerald Stern, and Patricia Jabbeh Wesley. Other prominent Autumn House authors include Sheryl St. Germain, who was named the Louisiana Writer of the Year in 2018, and , who received the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards for Emerging Artist and whose debut collection, The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water, was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. Autumn House Press’ other especially notable titles include Anxious Attachments by and Not Dead Yet and Other Stories by , both of which were longlisted for the PEN America Literary Awards in Nonfiction Essays and Debut Short Story Collections, respectively. Anxious Attachments was also awarded the Oregon Book Award in 2020. In 2013, Clifford Thompson’s Love for Sale and Other Essays won the Whiting Foundation Award. The press also publishes comprehensive anthologies including New America: Contemporary Literature for a Changing Society and When She Named Fire: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry by American Women. Autumn House Press titles have been reviewed in such venues as Publishers Weekly, Booklist, The Georgia Review, The Hollins Critic, The Times Literary Supplement, the ', and many more. Poems and excerpts have been featured in venues such as The New York Times Magazine, ', ', Lit Hub, The Millions, and more. The press was recently featured on Ploughshares as part of their "Indie Spotlight" interview series. Michael Simms and Joshua Storey founded the journal in 2007. The journal published poetry by both emerging and established writers and took its name from Coal Hill, otherwise known as Mount Washington, in Pittsburgh, PA. From 2009 to 2018 ' also published print poetry chapbooks. In early 2017, the Autumn House staff began working to reimagine and redefine the journal. Beginning in November of 2018, Coal Hill became a triannual, multi-genre literary journal that offers a greater representation of Pittsburgh authors. Autumn House holds annual contests in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; the winners of which receive publication of a full-length manuscript a $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book. Previous fiction winners include Further News of Defeat: Stories and Favorite Monster. won the nonfiction prize in 2019 for Skull Cathedral: A Vestigial Anatomy, and poetry winners include lucky wreck by Ada Limon, The Moons of August by , and under the aegis of a winged mind, most recently. The press additionally awards the “Rising Writer Prize” in poetry and, beginning in 2021, in fiction. The prizes are awarded for first full-length books of by authors 36 years old or younger and are aimed at supporting the work of younger, less-established writers who will become the voices of an emerging generation. Winners receive publication and a cash prize. Previous winners include In the Antarctic Circle,The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer, andThe Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water. Autumn House additionally holds an annual chapbook contest which offers publication and a 1,000 advance against royalties. Previous winners of the Autumn House ' Chapbook Contest include Epithalamia'' by .
