Fence Magazine and Books

Fence Magazine and Books A 501(c)(3) independent not-for-profit. https://linktr.ee/fencebooks

Fence is committed to publishing from the outside and the inside of established communities of writing, to interrogate and bedevil all the systems that bring new writing to light. Fence is committed to publishing from the outside and the inside of established communities of writing, seeking always to interrogate, collaborate with, and bedevil all the systems that bring new writing to light. A robu

st history of FENCE awaits you below on this page, from initial spark as an idea to its earliest days as a publisher. As a non-profit, Fence is mandated to make decisions outside of the requirements of market force or capital concern, and only in keeping with its mission:

to maintain a dedicated venue for writing and art that bears the clear variant mark of the individual’s response to their context;

and to make that venue accessible to as many, and as widely, as possible so that this work can reach others, that they may be fully aware of how much is possible in writing and art;

such that Fence publishes almost entirely from its unsolicited submissions;

and is committed to publishing the literature and art of q***r writers and writers of color.

“I also take every rejection as a reminder that I am closer to a yes.” — Stella Santamaría ()Poets & Writers () just fea...
06/02/2026

“I also take every rejection as a reminder that I am closer to a yes.” — Stella Santamaría ()

Poets & Writers () just featured Fence’s 2026 Ottoline Prize winner, Stella Santamaría, in their “Grants & Awards” newsletter! In their “Winners on Winning (WOW)” column, Santamaría shares her reflections & advice on submitting to writing contests.

Read this feature in these slides, & sign up for Poets & Writers’ newsletters at https://www.pw.org/! 💌

& look forward to Santamaría’s Ottoline Prize-winning book, CALIFORNIA SILENCE, publishing November 2026! ✨

“Notice how one soft thing, undergirding a pile, becomes an organizing principle, holding up the whole.” 🌻Cecily Parks (...
05/29/2026

“Notice how one soft thing, undergirding a pile, becomes an organizing principle, holding up the whole.” 🌻

Cecily Parks ()’s THE SEEDS (, 2025) just won the 2026 UNT Rilke Prize (announced yesterday!) & Gillian Osborne () just reviewed THE SEEDS for The Constant Critic, published today!

Read Osborne’s thoughtful & thought-provoking review, edited by David Gorin (), on Fence Digital: https://fencedigital.com/2026/05/29/constant-critic-the-dirt-that-grew-the-flower-ecopoetics-the-domestic-in-cecily-parkss-the-seeds/. 🧵

BOOKS NOT BOMBS. 💌Many thanks to Amanda Deutch ()’s Bay Area friend for these gorgeous photos of new york ironweed at Sa...
05/22/2026

BOOKS NOT BOMBS. 💌

Many thanks to Amanda Deutch ()’s Bay Area friend for these gorgeous photos of new york ironweed at San Francisco’s historic City Lights Bookstore ()! 💡

Find both new york ironweed by Amanda Deutch (winner of the 2025 Ottoline Prize) & THE STRANGE WONDROUS WORKS OF ELEANOR ELEANOR by Kathryn Cowles (.cowles)(winner of the 2025 Fence Modern Poets Series Book Prize) in the poetry section at City Lights!

(& spot Divya Victor ()’s 2017 Fence book, KITH, as well as FENCE Associate Editor Soham Patel ()’s THE DAUGHTER INDUSTRY in the second photograph, too!) 📖

This Saturday, May 23rd, Fence Books authors KATHRYN COWLES (.cowles) & BRANDON DOWNING () will read (& share their coll...
05/20/2026

This Saturday, May 23rd, Fence Books authors KATHRYN COWLES (.cowles) & BRANDON DOWNING () will read (& share their collages / visual art!) at 5 PM sharp (doors at 4:30 PM) at Artists Space, 11 Cortlandt Alley, New York City. 🌱

Kathryn Cowles just published THE STRANGE WONDROUS WORKS OF ELEANOR ELEANOR with Fence Books this year (winner of the 2025 Fence Modern Poets Series Book Prize)! 📖

Eleanor Eleanor and Kathryn Cowles were spooled side by side like thread until Eleanor abruptly disappeared. In the wake of Eleanor's leaving, Cowles lovingly compiles her unspooled residual poetry, full-color collages, and captions into this exquisite "fossil record," this ekphrasis-turned-on-its-head "partial catalog." 🧵

& Brandon Downing is a consistent contributor to FENCE magazine; find his three poem-collage-cut-ups in FENCE no. 42 (spring/summer 2025)! ✂️

& Fence Books published Brandon Downing’s LAKE ANTIQUITY in 2009: “Poetry X eleven = Lake Antiquity. Lake Antiquity = a rectangular swimming pool in the E.U.R. district in Rome, built by Benito Mussolini to be heralded at the 1942 World Expo as the epicenter of Fascism. Brandon Downing’s Lake Antiquity meets the challenge of this absurdity and countless ineradicable others.” 🌌Brandon Downing is

& if you’re not in New York City, join the Zoom livestream at 893 9594 7519. 🍃

$5 admission goes directly to readers.

Fence’s Emily Wallis Hughes () & Nik Slackman () curated the Spring 2026 Season of the Segue Reading Series at Artists Space! 🎟️

Fence Books celebrates its 25th anniversary this year; consider making a one-time donation at fenceportal.org/support to support our continued publishing efforts. 💌

“trillium / is not my password anymore” 🌱Visit your local, independent bookstore or Bookshop.org to find Amanda Deutch (...
05/15/2026

“trillium / is not my password anymore” 🌱

Visit your local, independent bookstore or Bookshop.org to find Amanda Deutch ()’s new york ironweed! new york ironweed won the 2025 Ottoline Prize.

Mike Ayre of Acid Bath Publishing () reports, “Deutch deftly explores the imperfectness of nature in 'playfully abstract' ways, alongside her profound highlighting of nature's struggle in an urban world.” 💌

This Saturday, May 16th, Fall 2026 Fence Books authors PATRICIO FERRARI () & STELLA SANTAMARÍA () will read at 5 PM shar...
05/14/2026

This Saturday, May 16th, Fall 2026 Fence Books authors PATRICIO FERRARI () & STELLA SANTAMARÍA () will read at 5 PM sharp (doors at 4:30 PM) at Artists Space, 11 Cortlandt Alley, New York City. 🐚

Look forward to Patricio Ferrari’s MUD SONGS (winner of the 2026 Fence Modern Poets Series Book Prize), publishing October 6, 2026, & Stella Santamaría’s CALIFORNIA SILENCE (winner of the 2026 Ottoline Prize), publishing November 10, 2026! 🙌

& if you’re not in New York City, join the Zoom livestream at 893 9594 7519. 🍃

$5 admission goes directly to readers.

Fence’s Emily Wallis Hughes & Nik Slackman curated the Spring 2026 Season of the Segue Reading Series at Artists Space! 🎟️

Fence Books celebrates its 25th anniversary this year; consider making a one-time donation at fenceportal.org/support to support our continued publishing efforts. 💌

05/14/2026

SAVE THE DATE! JUNE 20, 2026! 💦

…for the launch of FENCE no. 43, including a poets theater special feature, a reading, & a backyard pool party! Featuring Tony Torn & poets theater in the pool, & FENCE no. 43 contributors TBA. 🌞

📍 4 Riverledge Drive in Hudson, NY 12534 (with rides available from the Hudson Amtrak station!)

Free! Everyone welcome! 💌

& FENCE no. 43 available for purchase! 📖

Remember to submit your full-length poetry manuscripts to the Fence Modern Poets Series Book Prize & the Ottoline Prize ...
05/07/2026

Remember to submit your full-length poetry manuscripts to the Fence Modern Poets Series Book Prize & the Ottoline Prize by MAY 30, 2026! 🙌

We welcome poets in all stages of their writing life to submit. 🌞

Read our full guidelines & submit at fence.submittable.com/submit! 🎟️

This Saturday, May 9th, PATRICIA SPEARS JONES () & KHASHAYAR “KESS” MOHAMMADI () will read at 5 PM sharp (doors at 4:30 ...
05/06/2026

This Saturday, May 9th, PATRICIA SPEARS JONES () & KHASHAYAR “KESS” MOHAMMADI () will read at 5 PM sharp (doors at 4:30 PM) at Artists Space, 11 Cortlandt Alley, New York City. ⛅️

Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi translates Ghazal Mosadeq from the Persian in FENCE no. 42 (spring/summer 2025)!

FENCE hasn’t published Patricia Spears Jones (yet!), but FENCE contributor Cornelius Eady mentions her book, THE WEATHER THAT KILLS, in his spring/summer 2001 reading note.

& if you’re not in New York City, join the Zoom livestream at 893 9594 7519. 🎟️

$5 admission goes directly to readers.

Fence’s Emily Wallis Hughes () & Nik Slackman () curated the Spring 2026 Season of the Segue Reading Series at Artists Space! 🙌

Fence Books celebrates its 25th anniversary this year; consider making a one-time donation at fenceportal.org/support to support our continued publishing efforts. 💌

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Telephone

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Website

https://linktr.ee/fencebooks

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