Founded in 2002 as an online literary journal, Tarpaulin Sky took the form of 12.5 internet issues (see the archive) before its first paper edition in November 2007. Moving into 2008 and beyond, the magazine continues to publish new work both online and in print, often curated by guest-editors (see sidebar).

Tarpaulin Sky focuses on cross-genre / trans-genre / hybrid forms as well as innovative poetry and prose. The journal emphasizes experiments with language and form, but holds no allegiance to any one style or school or network of writers (rather, we try to avoid some of the defects associated with dipping too often into the same literary gene pool, and the diversity of our contributors is evidence of our eclectic interests—eg., Chris Abani, Rebecca Brown, Brian Evenson, Douglas A. Martin, John Yau, Laird Hunt, Matthea Harvey, Eleni Sikelianos, Bin Ramke, Ethan Paquin, Julie Carr, Ada Limon, Laura Sims, Juliana Spahr, et al). Several of our past contributors were first published in our magazine; many had published only a few times before; and other Tarpaulin Sky contributors have published numerous books and received numerous awards (the Glatstein Award, Fence Books Alberta Prize, Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship, Slope Editions Book Prize, Sawtooth Poetry Prize, National Poetry Series, Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, Whiting Award, Iowa Poetry Prize, Field Prize, the Lambda Literary Award, to name a dozen and leave out more) along with grants and fellowships from the likes of NYFA, the MacDowell Colony, the Camargo Foundation, the Karolyi Foundation, and the NEA.

Outside of the timetables of the online magazine issues, tarpaulinsky.com also posts reviews of small press books—most often, books published by our past contributors, or books published by the presses that publish our contributors, or books published by the presses run by our contributors, etc (our attempt to multiply and widen the concentric circles rippling around the work of some of our favorite writers)—but we also publish reviews of books by non-contributors. Heading into 2008, we are hoping to post reviews more frequently, and to this end we are now paying reviewers—in the form of free trade paperbacks from Tarpaulin Sky Press—for reviews that we accept. Please see our guidelines page for details.

The Press

Tarpaulin Sky Press was founded in 2006 with the intent of bringing out new books by contributors to Tarpaulin Sky Literary Journal. Now, via open reading periods, we are also publishing books by writers who are new to us. Like the journal, the press focuses on cross-genre / trans-genre / hybrid forms as well as innovative poetry and prose.

We are a small, author-centered press endeavoring to create books that, as objects, please our authors as much their texts please us. We produce both trade paperbacks and handbound books. Most of our handbound books are chapbooks, but some are full-length, and some are even hardcovers. When time and resources allow, we create perfectbound and handbound editions of full-length books.

Currently, Tarpaulin Sky Press offers the first full-length work of fiction by poet Joyelle McSweeney, Nylund, the Sarcographer; a collaborative book of poetry by Noah Eli Gordon and Joshua Marie Wilkinson, with images by Noah Saterstrom, Figures for a Darkroom Voice; handbound and perfectbound editions of the second genre-bending prose poetry/lyric essay book by Jenny Boully, [one love affair]*; handbound and perfect editions of the first full-length collection of fiction by Danielle Dutton, Attempts at a Life, and handbound and perfectbound editions of the first full-length collection of poems by Max Winter, The Pictures. Our chapbooks include prose-poetry and verse by Sandy Florian, Andrew Michael Roberts, and Chad Sweeney. A list of forthcoming authors and titles may be foun on our authors page.

Events / Readings

In 2005, Tarpaulin Sky began hosting readings in NYC, in conjunction with the venerable Frequency Series and the incomparable Burning Chair. Tarpaulin Sky readings are now branching out of NYC and into cities and states all around the US. Please check our Tarpaulin Sky Readings & Events page for updates.

We offer an extensive list of links to other presses and literary journals online and print. Some are publishing very different work than we publish, and may be good venues for writers whose work is not suited to Tarpaulin Sky.

Please see our guidelines page for details regarding submissions of poetry, prose, hybrid forms, etc, as well as submissions of reviews and review copies.

Tarpaulin Sky Press & Tarpaulin Sky Literary Journal offer a limited number of unpaid internships for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Interested students should introduce themselves to the editors via an email to (In order to avoid the spam filters, please be sure to include "Attn: Editors" in the subject line). Applicants are expected to possess excellent computer, Internet, and English language skills as well as a sincere desire to be a part of the writing and publishing community.

If you would like to receive emails announcing the publication of new issues or books, please write "subscribe" in the subject line of a blank email to

Tarpaulin Sky offers book design and web design services for authors, literary journals, presses, and literary organizations. Due to limited staff and time, we're usually booked solid; please contact us well in advance of your project's publication date.

We welcome your questions and comments.

Email (In order to avoid the spam filters, please be sure to include "Attn: Editors" in the subject line).

Thank you for your interest in Tarpaulin Sky Press!