The Crab Orchard Award Series in Poetry began in 1998 as a co-publishing venture of CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW and Southern Illinois University Press. In 2004, the Crab Orchard Award Series in Poetry changed its name to the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry to reflect a new area in our ongoing project to publish some of the best new work by established and new voices in American poetry. In addition to continuing to publish our First Book Award and our Open Competition Award winners each year, the series began in 2004 to publish Editor’s Selections chosen by the series editor to build upon and expand the strengths of the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry. Editor's Selections are selected from manuscripts submitted to the series editor from authors who are currently published in the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry (who are no longer eligible to enter the Open Competition) or from poets who have already published one or more books who are invited by the series editor to submit a manuscript. There is no open reading period for Editor's Selections and first books are not considered.

We want to thank all the readers and writers who have made the Crab Orchard Award Series in Poetry such a success and we look forward to bringing you more new titles in the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry. Open Competition of manuscripts submitted each Fall (October 1 through November 16; see guidelines for details). In addition to the Open Competition Award, the series will publish the winner of the annual First Book Award selected from poetry manuscripts submitted in the Spring (May 15 through July 1; see guidelines for details).