Deep Line Poetry Series

The Deep Line Poetry Series was created to spotlight poetry by writers working in the American South, writing about and from BIPOC communities. Submissions are open to all Southern poets at any stage of their career. There is no fee associated with submitting to this series. A finalist will be selected by the Editor-at-Large, and will be published by Hub City Press in the following year. In addition to publication, the finalist will receive a prize of $2000.

Formally the BIPOC Poetry Series, the Deep Line Poetry Series is open to all poets at any stage of their careers who reside in or are from the South and whose project reflects the experience of marginalized Southern communities. Submitters must live in or be from the following fourteen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia.

This series is made possible with funding from the Poetry Foundation.

Submissions:  October 1-31, 2025
Editor-at-Large 2025: TBD

SUBMIT

Previous Recipients

Ashley M. Jones, Editor-at-Large 2024

the past is a jean jacket, Cloud Delfina Cardona (October 2025)
black frag/ments, Lolita Stewart-White (February 2026)

Eligibility

• Submitters must either currently reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia or have a strong tie to one or more of the listed states.

• Submitters must not be affiliated with Hub City Press or Hub City Writers Project as a staff member or volunteer or as previously published Hub City author. Close friends and relatives of the final judge are not eligible.

Submission Requirements

• The contest opens October 1 and closes October 31, 2025, 11:59PM EST. One finalists will be announced in early 2026.

• The manuscript must be between 50 and 200 pages (12 point, serif typeface). Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included. 

• This contest is not read anonymously, so please include a bio with your manuscript. Manuscripts should include one title page with the manuscript’s title only. You may also include a table of contents. Manuscripts that do not adhere to this guideline will be immediately eliminated.

• Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to other publishers or contests are acceptable but please notify us if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.

• While translations and manuscripts in languages other than English are not accepted, manuscripts that occasionally use words from other languages are acceptable and welcome.

• No revisions of submitted manuscripts will be allowed during the contest.

• There is no fee associated with submitting to this series.

FAQs

I have never published a book before. Am I eligible?

Yes! The Deep Line Poetry Series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.

I have published several books before. Am I eligible?

Yes! The Deep Line Poetry Series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.

I have previously lived in one of the Southern states listed. Am I eligible?

Yes! As long as you have ties to the South (have been born/raised in the South; have previously lived in the South for 3+ years; or are a current resident), you’re eligible to apply.

Questions?

If your question isn't addressed above, please email kate@hubcity.org.