Home of the lemonlight prize
INK & RIBBON
POETRY. CRAFTED. COLLECTED
Ink & Ribbon Press is a nonprofit literary publisher dedicated to advancing poetry and the book arts through limited-edition works and our annual $3,000 Lemonlight Prize.
Our aim is simple: to run a sustainable model where every dollar earned is reinvested into publishing new voices and preserving the art of the book
We champion poetic voices of artistic and educational value, producing each title with care — from design to print — in small, collectible runs of 100 to 250 copies. Our books are crafted as enduring objects of beauty and intention, created for those who believe poetry should be held, not just read.
Through our publishing program, community readings, and educational outreach, we celebrate poetry as a shared public good. The recipient of The Lemonlight Prize is featured in our annual anthology, published as part of this finely made collection.
Launching Spring 2026
The 2026 Lemonlight Prize
COMING 2026
Each year, The Lemonlight Prize shines a light on powerful voices in poetry and prose — work that is both intimate and enduring. We welcome submissions of previously unpublished manuscripts, chapbooks, and single poems.
Prize: $3,000 honorarium, publication with Ink & Ribbon Press, and inclusion in our limited-edition Lemonlight Anthology, distributed internationally.
Judges: To be announced
The Familiarity
by G. K. Allum
2026
A poetic meditation on the evolving landscape of long-term love — its quiet devastations, its unnoticed beauty, and the tender gravity of time. Through intimate, image-driven poems, Allum explores how relationships change as we grow older, become parents, and learn to see one another anew.
These poems move through the shared rituals of marriage and the raw vulnerability of fatherhood — from the soft bewilderment of raising children to the silent reckonings of midlife. At its heart lies a question: is there anything greater than falling in love with the same person twice — and what must be lost, or forgiven, to find our way back?
G. K. Allum is a British-born poet based in the Pacific Northwest. His work explores the intersections of memory, love, and transformation across poetry and fine-art photography.
He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, shortlisted for Bainbridge Island Poet of the Year, Winner of the Laguna Arte Special Prize in Venice, Italy, and a Finalist of the New York Art Marathon. His work also earned an Honorable Mention at the 21st Writer’s Digest Awards.
Allum is currently pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) at Pacific University.
Open Readings & Book Reviews
Ink & Ribbon Press is opening its doors, and its pages, for the very first time.
Our Inaugural Open Reading (December 15 – February 14) invites poets to submit work for consideration toward our first full-length publication.
We welcome both complete manuscripts and selections of 15 – 25 poems, accompanied by a brief project overview and biography. The reading fee is $15, supporting our nonprofit printing and editorial fund.
Be part of our beginning — help us find the poet who will become our first published author.
We also review new and forthcoming poetry collections that honor the craft of the printed word.
The Inkwell
The Return of The Small Press
Why Poetry Needs Independent Publishers More Than Ever
Review: Modern Poetry by Diane Seuss
Modern Poetry opens not with reverance but a question: "What can poetry be now?"
Founder’s Notes | Why Ink & Ribbon Exists
The measure of success isn't margin; it's memory.