Dear Friends of Perugia Press,
Up until now, we haven’t said enough about what the Perugia Press Prize winner receives other than book publication, so it’s high time for some boasting. This isn’t news; we just want to spell it out.
• We work closely with the winning poet to create a book she loves.
• The poet has a say in editing, design, and promotion.
• We plan a book launch in MA, where the press is based, for which a travel stipend and reading honorariums are provided.
• Poets receive ongoing publicity through our website and social media, plus invitations to do readings and participate in local and national book fairs.
• The winner receives $1,000.
• After receiving 10 copies of her book, she enjoys a discount of 50% off the cover price forever.
• We send review copies to writers and review venues.
• We enter the winning book into post-publication contests.
This may sound standard, but it’s actually more of what makes Perugia Press unique. Our books make their way into the world on many paths, gathering more attention. And it pays off.
Sincerely,
Susan Kan
Founder and President of the Board
P.S. For gifts of $100 or more, we’ll send you a copy of the 2019 Perugia Press Prize-winning book, Hail and Farewell by Abby E. Murray, when it is released later this year. And, as a little gift in honor of Poetry Month, we’ve included a poem from Murray’s collection below.
The Falling Body
When our daughter falls
down the carpeted hotel stairs,
her body translates to another
you’ve seen before,
fingers outstretched in search of anchor,
elbows locked into columns.
You didn’t catch those bodies
either, not even a sleeve.
She howls. You scream for me
the way a medic screamed for you,
yelling as if I don’t kneel
on the same carpet you cradle her on,
its red lotus design bursting
like fire at night.
We lean into each other like ruins
beneath a glittering chandelier,
our backs to the guests
who line up to check out.
By Abby E. Murray
from Hail and Farewell
* Hail and Farewell will be released in September 2019 *
