Black Lawrence Partners with Fresno State on Poetry Prize

Black Lawrence Press has been named the new publishing partner for Fresno State's Philip Levine Prize for Poetry. The national prize, administered by the creative writing MFA program at the northern California college, includes a $2,000 purse and publication. 

The first winner to be published by Black Lawrence will be William Archila, whose collection S is For is the recipient of the 2023 prize. 

“As a respected small press with rich offerings in multiple genres, Black Lawrence Press continues to publish meaningful work that expands the landscape of American literature,” said Fresno State assistant professor Mai Der Vang. “We look forward to working with them to publish the winning books and to share the work of our winners with new audiences.”

Black Lawrence executive director Diane Goettel said as the press enters its 20th year in business, it is delighted to become the publishing home of the esteemed Levine Prize.

“The goals and ethos of the Levine Prize’s founders and current stewards are closely in line with our goals and ethos at Black Lawrence Press — to offer a platform for important voices in American letters through collaborative and thoughtful editorial processes,” Goettel said. “We also enthusiastically look forward to working with the graduate students at Fresno State’s MFA program, offering them insights into small-press publishing.”