CityLit Project


Type Of Organization
Magazine-press-2
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
CityLit Project creates enthusiasm for the literary arts, connects a community of avid readers and writers, and designs opportunities for diverse audiences to embrace the literary arts. While this mission remains a steadfast charge, how we create enthusiasm and connect communities evolves to reflect the spirit of the times. Since 2004, CityLit is ever committed to creating a vibrant, diverse literary community of emerging and established writers and securing ways readers can interact with their favorite authors while being introduced to writers they have not yet discovered. CityLit Press, begun in 2010, is the organization’s own book publishing imprint, providing a venue for writers who might otherwise be overlooked by larger publishers due to the literary nature or regional focus of their projects.

Social Media Platforms Used
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
no
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Gregg Wilhelm / Carla Du Pree
Contact Title
Executive Director
Submissions Policy
Founded by Michael Salcman, former CityLit board member, the Harriss Poetry Prize is a national competition for poets who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press (previous chapbook publications are fine). The prize is named in honor of Clarinda Harriss, eminent Maryland poet, professor emerita of Towson University’s English Department, which she chaired for a decade, and longtime director of BrickHouse Books, Inc., Maryland’s oldest literary press. Harriss is a widely published, award-winning poet of Air Travel, Mortmain, and Dirty Blue Voice. Included among the honors is a chapbook published by CityLit Press, $350, and 50 copies. Publication includes professional design, wholesale availability through Ingram, and on-line retail pages at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, indiebound.org, and other sources. If possible, an offer to appear at a CityLit Project public event may be extended. CityLit Project staff, interns, board members, and their immediate family are ineligible. After a hiatus, in 2019 CityLit revived the competition with the addition of award-winning children’s author, educator, and poet Kwame Alexander as series editor. Alexander is the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated, Swing, Rebound – shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal, and his Newbery medal-winning middle-grade novel, The Crossover. He’s the founding editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and a founding CityLit board member.
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
No
Year Founded
2004

Magazine-press-2