The Pushcart Press (publisher)

The Pushcart Press (publisher)
Name	Pushcart Press
Founded	1972
Founder	Bill Henderson
Country	United States
Headquarters	Wainscott, New York
Publications	Books, Anthologies
Genre	Poetry, Short Fiction, Essays

The Pushcart Press (publisher)

Pushcart Press is an independent American small press founded in 1972 by Bill Henderson to promote work from small presses, little magazines, and independent publishers. It is best known for producing annual anthologies that collect outstanding poetry, short story, and essay work originally published outside major commercial publishing housees, and for spotlighting voices later recognized by institutions such as the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Nobel Prize in Literature. Operated from Wainscott, New York, the press occupies a central place in late 20th- and early 21st-century American literary networks involving Village Voice, Poetry (magazine), The Paris Review, and regional journals.

History

Founded by Henderson after an editorial career that included work at The New Yorker, Esquire, and various literary magazines, the press emerged during a surge of small press movement activity in the 1960s and 1970s alongside publishers such as Graywolf Press, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Copper Canyon Press. Early projects built relationships with editors at Partisan Review, The Hudson Review, AGNI, Ploughshares, and Boston Review. The first edition of its flagship anthology drew selections from dozens of outlets including TriQuarterly, The New Criterion, The Kenyon Review, and Granta (U.S. & U.K.), consolidating a network of contributors who were active in communities organized around events like the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Yaddo residency, and the MacDowell Colony. Over decades the press weathered changes in book distribution and cultural policy while maintaining editorial independence parallel to presses such as City Lights Publishers and New Directions Publishing.

Mission and Editorial Focus

The press's mission emphasizes advocacy for writers published by small operations rather than conglomerates such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, or Simon & Schuster. Editorial criteria prioritize aesthetic innovation and craftsmanship as evidenced in outlets like Poetry Northwest, Fence, Conjunctions, Ploughshares, and Tin House. The press champions forms showcased in venues like The Antioch Review, Salamander, and The Southern Review, and it foregrounds experimental and regional literature connected to scenes in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and New Orleans. Through anthology selection the press builds cross-connections among contributors who later receive recognition from institutions such as the Academy of American Poets, the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and university presses like Harvard University Press and Oxford University Press.

The Pushcart Prize and Publications

The press publishes the annual anthology series that presents winners of the Pushcart Prize drawn from independent magazines and small presses. Each volume aggregates prize-winning pieces in poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction originally appearing in journals such as The Paris Review, Poetry (magazine), Kenyon Review, Epoch, The Missouri Review, and The Georgia Review. In addition to the flagship anthology, the press has released selected volumes and themed collections that promote writers affiliated with entities like Harper's Magazine, The New York Review of Books, NPR, and BBC Radio 4 programming. The anthology functions as both a curatorial record and a launching pad for authors who later publish with houses including Knopf, Faber & Faber, and Graywolf Press.

Notable Authors and Works

Over its history the press has featured authors who later achieved major recognition, including contributors associated with the Pulitzer Prize winners Louise Glück, Philip Levine, and Sylvia Plath-era readers, as well as fiction writers who later appeared on lists from The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Other contributors have included recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship such as John Ashbery and influential poets and writers tied to institutions like Columbia University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Stanford University. The anthology has showcased work by figures who later taught at residencies like Iowa Writers' Workshop and curated series at venues such as 92nd Street Y and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Distribution and Business Model

Operating as an independent press, Pushcart Press employs a hybrid business model combining direct sales, partnerships with independent bookstores including Powell's Books, Strand Bookstore, and regional sellers, and distribution through independent distributors that serve university press markets. It maintains relationships with university programs, literary festivals like the Pen World Voices Festival, and nonprofit organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for occasional grants and promotional support. The press's low-overhead editorial structure mirrors that of other small presses and relies on volunteer readers, contributing editors, and a small paid staff to curate annual volumes.

Awards and Recognition

The annual anthology itself has been recognized as an influential compendium in American letters, cited by recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the National Book Award; contributors and editors associated with the press have received honors from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Poetry Society of America. The press's role in amplifying independent-journal literature has been acknowledged in histories of the small press movement and in retrospectives by outlets such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.

Category:American publishing companies Category:Small press publishing companies