2Leaf Press Announces The Shirley Bradley LeFlore Literary Award

The Shirley Bradley LeFlore Literary Award, named in honor of lifelong poet, activist, and educator, St. Louis Poet Laureate Emeritus Shirley J. Bradley Price LeFlore (1940-2019), recognizes the best in emergent women poets in Missouri. The award is given biennially for a debut poetry collection sponsored by the Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation and published by 2Leaf Press, which published LeFlore’s poetry collection, Brassbones & Rainbows (2013) and the choreopoem Rivers of Women, The Play (2013). Check out the Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation to lean more about Shirley.

Submission Guidelines

• To be eligible, the Shirley Bradley LeFlore Literary Award is only open to women legally residing in Missouri.
• The manuscript must represent a first-edition collection (not previously published in any country), written in English, or translated into English, by a poet/translator from any part of the world, including Canada. The manuscript must be of the highest literary caliber that exemplifies the award’s founding principles.
• The manuscript may include poems that have previously appeared in journals or anthologies, but the collection as a whole must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are not permitted.
• All submissions should include a cover sheet providing complete contact information, including name, address, telephone, email address and a brief bio. Only include a table of contents and the poems (no dedication, acknowledgments, etc.). The name of the poet and page numbers must appear on each page.
• Manuscripts must be in English, typed in a 12-point font (Arial or Times Roman only), and should be single-spaced between 75 and 120 pages.
• Manuscripts must be postmarked by December 31, 2022. No exceptions. Early submissions are encouraged. If you desire proof of receipt, send the manuscript using a delivery confirmation through the United States Post Office.
• WE WILL ONLY ACCEPT MAILED-IN HARD COPIES THIS YEAR; EMAILED SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
• The submission must be accompanied with a non-refundable reading fee of $35 in either a money order or bank check, payable to THE SHIRLEY BRADLEY LEFLORE FOUNDATION. Submissions without the reading fee will not be considered.
• Please send manuscript and reading fee to:

2Leaf Press
SBL LITERARY AWARD
PO Box 4378
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163-5378

The deadline is December 31, 2022.

This year’s judges will be announced on the Foundation and 2Leaf Press websites before September 1, 2022.

One winner will be announced and awarded $1,000. The final manuscript will be published by 2Leaf Press. The winner will be announced during Women’s History Month in March 2023, and the book will publish during National Poetry Month in April 2024. The winner will be honored and invited to give a public reading at the Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation’s annual gala.