About Jacar Press

A Community-Active Literary Press

Jacar Press believes that writing still matters.

Although at times we seem to be living in a post-print era, the need for the written word, the ideas, emotions, and beauty only a poem, story, essay, or novel can convey, is greater than ever. We seek to support writers who offer their unflinching vision of the world.

At Jacar Press we believe that writers should be treated with respect and dignity. Writers and publishers should be allies, not antagonists, working together with each other. A writer's job is to witness the world, and share that witness. This work is difficult and essential. A publisher's job is to bring that work to readers.

Jacar Press also believes that the business of writing can, and should, be a positive force in communities. For example, proceeds from our first publication of 2010, The Sound of Poets Cooking, an anthology of poems and recipes, will fund writing workshops in underserved communities.

All our publications will address similar needs.

In addition to publishing books and serving communities, Jacar Press will be active in other areas. We will offer low-cost online classes for writers. Check out our Writers Teaching Writers page to learn more about these. Twice a year we will be running Poetry book competitions. Check out our Submissions page for information on these. And we will be developing an interactive page for readers - this will be operational later in the Fall.

Fall 2011 Publications 

Click on 'Books' tab for more information.

Southern Fictions, by Kathryn Stripling Byer
A rare, limited edition handmade book of sonnets about race relationships in the South by the former NC Poet Laureate.

Smoke of Her Body, Stephanie Levin, Winner of the Jacar Press Full Length Book Contest
- chosen by Dorianne Laux
Bitter Acoustic, Sharon McDermott, Winner of the Jacar Press Chapbook Contest
- chosen by Betty Adcock

Fall 2010 Publications

The Sound of Poets Cooking
A diverse and eclectic collection of poems by nationally celebrated writers, alongside recipes created by poets and their friends. Proceeds from the sales of this book will go to fund writing workshops in underserved communities.

The Next Moment, by Debra Kaufman
A journey through life on the wings of poetry, this chapbook is passionate, real, and emotional.

MILF Notes
A funny, touching, and outrageous autobiography that shows how one woman rose from a childhood of poverty on an Indian reservation to become a world-traveling expert on single parenting and relationships. Proceeds will go to help women in shelters.