...I met a poet three weeks ago whose immediate response on hearing "Anhinga Press" was that it published beautiful books -- inside and out... A few years ago Anhinga poets had their own poetry reading section at the Associated Writing Programs conference in Albany, NY. All who read thought it was as good a reading as they had participated in, and many who attended, not knowing Anhinga previously, had similar perceptions. From the proofs I have seen, and knowing most of these poets, I think the reader of Snakebird will see why. -- from the Preface, "Memories of the Origin of Anhinga Press," by Van K. Brock (founder of Anhinga Press)

In its twenty years, the Anhinga Prize's reputation has grown along with the reputation of its winners. Anhinga Prize winners have gone on to publish other books of poetry and win more prizes. Some have published prose -- criticism, fiction, and memoir. Their works appear regularly in the most distinguished literary publications -- Poetry, Georgia Review, Southern Review, Ploughshares, and New England Review, among others... With the Anhinga Prize celebrating its twentieth winner and the Press its thirtieth year, Anhinga has surely come of age. -- from the Preface, "A Note on the Anhinga Prize for Poetry," by Donald Caswell (founder of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry)

I make the books. I like to imagine the poets that I design and edit for, opening their first box of books and smiling -- for we have made a beautiful book, a book that pleases us both... I hope the way we [make books] at Anhinga is a process that empowers the poet; that our collaboration has "birthed" a physical object that honors their work and honors the readers that will come later... It is all about the words and being able to hold them in your hands. -- from the Preface, "Making Books," by C.L. (Lynne) Knight

As we move through this thirtieth year and look forward to the future, what do we want? More of the same, I guess. More good books. More good poets. It's good work if you can get it. If it's true, as Williams said in "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower," that
           It is difficult
to get the news from poems
      yet men die every day
                  for lack
      of what's found there
then we are doing our part in the great struggle. Thirty years, man, thirty years. We just love this. We just love this. This is who we are -- from the Preface by Rick Campbell

This is a sampling from Anhinga publications and new work by 44 of America's best writers: every poet whose work has been published in book-length form during the first thirty years of Anhinga Press's history.

Contributors:

Nick Bozanic
Earl S. Braggs
James Brock
Van K. Brock
Fleda Brown
Cynthia Cahn
Donald Caswell
Valerie Chronis Bickett
Mary Ann Coleman
Gary Corseri
Silvia Curbelo
Robert Dana
Frank X. Gaspar
Steve Gehrke
Sam Harrison
Lola Haskins
Janet Holmes
David Kirby
Judith Kitchen
P. V. Leforge
Mia Leonin
Julia B. Levine
Robert J. Levy
Rick Lott
Erika Meitner
Judson Mitcham
Jean Monahan
Michael Mott
Ann Neelon
Naomi Shihab Nye
Ricardo Pau-Llosa
Francis Poole
Keith Ratzlaff
Sherry Rind
Yvonne Sapia
Ruth L. Schwartz
Julianne Seeman
Hal Shows
Leon Stokesbury
Kathleen Wakefield
Will Wells
Patti White
Michele Wolf
Fabian Worsham