Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 in Denver, Colorado by Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, Bill O'Daly, and Jim Gautney, specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. Since 1974, it has been located in Port Townsend, Washington, in what "looks like a small storage building". Bednarik also served as the poet Jim Harrison's editor at Copper Canyon Press.
Copper Canyon Press
- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- Fort Worden · Port Townsend
- Activity
- printing
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Documentary summary
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 in Denver, Colorado by Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, Bill O'Daly, and Jim Gautney, specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. Since 1974, it has been located in Port Townsend, Washington, in what "looks like a small storage building". Bednarik also served as the poet Jim Harrison's editor at Copper Canyon Press.
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wikidata · Q5168700 · wikipedia · Copper Canyon Press
In this article
Overview
Overview
They publish new collections of poetry by both popular and emerging American poets, translations of classical and contemporary work from many of the world's cultures, re-issues of out-of-print poetry classics, prose books about poetry, and anthologies.
Key facts
Key facts
• Country — United States • Headquarters — Fort Worden Port Townsend, Washington • Distribution — Consortium Book Sales & Distribution • Publications — Books • Genre — Poetry
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1972
The full dated record · 3 entries
1972
Copper Canyon Press established.
1972
Copper Canyon Press is recorded from 1972.
1972
Copper Canyon Press was established or created in 1972.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Books
One of "the country's most respected and prestigious poetry presses", and a "pro", Copper Canyon Press achieved national attention with their publication of The Complete Poems of Kenneth Rexroth, edited by Sam Hamill and Bradford Morrow in 2003 and, two years later, when their poet W.S. Merwin won the 2005 National Book Award for Poetry in the same year another Copper Canyon poet, Ted Kooser, won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and was appointed to a second year as United States Poet Laureate. Merwin later won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and in 2010 was named United States Poet Laureate. Copper Canyon has published more than 400 titles, including works by the Nobel Prize laureates Pablo Neruda, Odysseas Elytis, Octavio Paz, Vicente Aleixandre and Rabindranath Tagore; Pulitzer Prize-winners Ted Kooser, Carolyn Kizer, Maxine Kumin, Theodore Roethke, and W.S. Merwin; National Book Award winners Hayden Carruth, Lucille Clifton, and Ruth Stone; and some contemporary poets and translators such as Jim Harrison, C. D. Wright, Bill Porter (aka Red Pine), Norman Dubie, Eleanor Wilner, Arthur Sze, James Richardson, Tom Hennen and Lucia Perillo. In 2003 it published the Complete Poems of Kenneth Rexroth. • Illustration — Building #313 at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Washington is the home of Copper Canyon Press. The press published What About This: Collected Poems of Frank Stanford to great critical acclaim in 2015. In his New York Times review, Dwight Garner complimented the press for performing a "vital and difficult task" and giving the reader "a chance to see him (Stanford) whole." National Public Radio called the book's release "the big event in poetry for 2015." Also in 2015, Copper Canyon Press acquired the U.S. rights to a manuscript of lost poems by the Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda. Discovered by archivists from The Pablo Neruda Foundation in the summer of 2014 just after the April 2013 exhumation of Neruda's body in Chile, this collection of poems has been called "a literary event of universal importance" and "the biggest find in Spanish literature in recent years". The collection, Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems, translated by Pulitzer finalist Forrest Gander, was released in April 2016 and includes full-color, facsimile presentations of Neruda's handwritten poems. Copper Canyon was also awarded the rights to publish Neruda's first book, Crepusulario, which has also never appeared in the U.S. in English translation. Natasha Rao's Latitude was the winner of the 2021 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize in Poetry. Jorie Graham's To 2040 was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Poetry, and Jennifer Chang's An Authentic Life in 2025. The poets Richard Siken and Gabrielle Calvocoressi were finalists for the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry, whereas Natalie Shapero was on the longlist for Stay Dead.
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Copper Canyon Press stands. Press has its headquarters at Port Townsend. Recorded as nonprofit organization. Press has its headquarters at Fort Worden. Established or created in 1972. Situated in United States. Press operates in printing.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Copper Canyon Press”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5168700: Copper Canyon Press
General reference · Wikidata
Major prizes
• Jericho Brown – 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for The Tradition • Arthur Sze – 2019 National Book Award for Poetry for Sight Lines • Ocean Vuong – 2017 T. S. Eliot Prize for Night Sky with Exit Wounds • Natalie Diaz – 2013 American Book Award for When My Brother Was an Aztec • Laura Kasischke – 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award for Space, In Chains • C.D. Wright – 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award for One With Others • W.S. Merwin – 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for The Shadow of Sirius • Ted Kooser – 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Delights and Shadows • W.S. Merwin – 2005 National Book Award for Poetry for Migrations: New and Selected Poems • Ruth Stone – 2002 National Book Award for Poetry for In the Next Galaxy • Hayden Carruth – 1996 National Book Award for Poetry for Scrambled Eggs & Whiskey
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Beeck, Natalie. A Poetic Golden Anniversary for Copper Canyon Press. Publishers Weekly. 2023-02-10.
- 2.Jennings, Dana. Poetry Profiles: Copper Canyon Press. The New York Times. 2013-10-24.
- 3.Reddy, Nancy. Poetry Book Contracts: What to Know Before You Sign. The Millions. 2021-04-29.
- 4.Maher, John. Ryo Yamaguchi Named Publisher at Copper Canyon Press. Publishers Weekly. 2024-05-03.
- 5.Baker, Jeff. Poetry: Copper Canyon Press publishes award-winning books in the far Northwest corner. The Oregonian. 2013-12-18.
- 6.de la Paz, Diane Urbani. Copper Canyon Press to publish poetry tome. Peninsula Daily News. 2021-12-07.
- 7.Jennings, Dana. Kerry James Evans: From Combat Engineer to Poet. The New York Times. October 22, 2013.
- 8.A Small Press Brings Poetry to World : Kitsap Sun.
- 9.Macdonald, Moira. Lit Life: Sam Hamill, 'the dean of Northwest poets,' left major mark on Northwest publishing world. The Seattle Times. 2018-04-26. 2642-7192.
- 10.Nichols, Travis. If No One Can Find My Book, Does It Exist?. Poetry Foundation. 2007-05-10.
- 11.Jenna Krajeski. Copper Canyon's Big Time. The New Yorker. April 20, 2009.
- 12.Gelder, Lawrence Van. Arts, Briefly (Published 2005). The New York Times. April 9, 2005.
- 13.Rich, Motoko. Pleased by His Pulitzer, Surprised by Poetry. April 20, 2009.
- 14.Cohen, Patricia. W. S. Merwin to Be Named Poet Laureate (Published 2010). The New York Times. July 1, 2010.
- 15.Garner, Dwight. Review: 'What About This: Collected Poems of Frank Stanford' (Published 2015). The New York Times. April 6, 2015.
- 16.Resurrections, Do-Overs, And Second Lives: A 2015 Poetry Preview. NPR.org. January 17, 2015.
- 17.Grimes, William. Neruda Poems Found. ArtsBeat. June 19, 2014.
- 18.Flood, Alison. Pablo Neruda poems 'of extraordinary quality' discovered. The Guardian. June 19, 2014. 0261-3077.
- 19.The First Book Prize in Poetry. The Honickman Foundation.
- 20.Finalist: To 2040, by Jorie Graham (Copper Canyon Press). The Pulitzer Prizes.
- 21.Finalist: An Authentic Life, by Jennifer Chang (Copper Canyon Press). The Pulitzer Prizes.
- 22.Here are the 2025 National Book Awards finalists. Literary Hub. 2025-10-07.
- 23.The ten contenders for the National Book Award for Poetry. The National Book Foundation. 2025-09-09.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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