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As you will have heard by now, President Trump’s administration submitted its first federal budget request to Congress this week. The proposal calls for the elimination of a number of federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Here at Milkweed Editions, our publishing program is sustained by a healthy mix of revenue, including revenue from the sales of books we have published as well as support from readers like you, from private foundations, and from government agencies such as the Minnesota State Arts Board and the NEA. In fact, we have received financial support from the NEA almost every year since our founding in 1980.

As part of “Because We Come From Everything: Poetry & Migration,” the first formalized programming of the Poetry Coalition, Milkweed Editions, Coffee House Press, Graywolf Press, and Birds, LLC have partnered to curate a selection of poems on the theme of migration. Installment #2: Mai Der Vang’s “Transmigration,” from Afterland.

Milkweed Editions is deeply saddened to report that Richard Wagamese passed away in his home on Friday, March 10, 2017. He was 61. Wagamese was the author of more than 15 books ranging across fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including the novels Medicine Walk, Dream Wheels, and Indian Horse. Much of his work drew from his own struggle with family dysfunction that he attributed to the isolating government- and church-run schools, attended by his parents and extended family members. Wagamese called himself a second-generation survivor of these experiences.

As part of “Because We Come From Everything: Poetry & Migration,” the first formalized programming of the Poetry Coalition, Milkweed Editions, Coffee House Press, Graywolf Press, and Birds, LLC have partnered to curate a selection of poems on the theme of migration. The first: “Ego-Tripping as Self-Defense Mechanism for Refugee Kids Who Got Their Names Clowned On” by Bao Phi.

We’re proud to be part of the independent publishing community, promoting titles that breed independent minds, break the mold, and dare to be different. In support of our fellow independents, we’ve teamed up with a few presses to draw attention to big books from smaller publishers across the country. This month, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day. What books are you reading to celebrate? Join the conversation and use the hashtags #ireadindie and #InternationalWomensDay.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Milkweed Editions at Open Book!

Join us for an evening honoring poets, their vital place in our culture, and their unique capacity to imagine, enliven, connect, and delight.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

At 5:30 p.m., join poets and poetry fans for a party in the Milkweed Editions office suite featuring poetry-themed drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Ticketed reception: $25 General Admission | $10 Student Ticket | FREE for Poets.

At 7:00 p.m., the party continues with a reading in the Target Performance Hall featuring the finalists for this year’s $10,000 Lindquist & Vennum…

We are pleased to announce that Analicia Sotelo is the inaugural winner of the Jake Adam York Prize for a first or second collection of poems, presented in partnership by Copper Nickel and Milkweed Editions, judged by Ross Gay. Sotelo will receive $2,000 and her debut collection, Virgin, will be published by Milkweed Editions in February 2018.

“Masterpiece” is a label I am quite wary to use on contemporary literature, but Lincoln in the Bardo has won me over so completely that I’m afraid I can’t avoid it. In fact, I didn’t even want to write this post. Colson Whitehead has already reviewed the book masterfully and George Saunders certainly doesn’t need our help in boosting sales for his eighth book of fiction—even though this is his first novel. But: there are books we read and enjoy for their prose or creativity in storytelling; books we enjoy while reading and then forget fairly quickly. This, for me, is no such book.

We’re proud to be part of the independent publishing community, promoting titles that breed independent minds, break the mold, and dare to be different. In support of our fellow independents, we’d like to draw attention to big books from smaller publishers across the country. Over the coming months, we’ll be teaming up with a few other independent publishers to do just that, each time highlighting books on different themes. First up, we’re highlighting our best books that celebrate diversity.

Of course, this is just a small snapshot of what’s out there. What are your favorite books from independent publishers? Join…