Colrain Cold Read is an intimate, 5–7 poet one-day intensive built around an enactment of a real-time submission moment: a press editor reads your manuscript cold, in front of the small group, and thinks aloud just as they would at their office desk. You’ll hear the real editorial commentary regarding title/TOC, opening (and beyond) pages, through-line, writing skill, structure, cohesiveness, style, etc., followed by concrete responses for all manuscripts in the group as the editor responds to each, one by one. After the editor’s departure, a Colrain faculty member anchors interpretations and expectations so you leave with a realistic understanding of work to be done.
Poets with an in-progress full-length (≈48–70 pp) or chapbook-length (15-40 pp) manuscript seeking real-world editorial evaluation before submitting to presses/contests (or after, for more understanding of rejections!).
At 10am EST we’ll meet on Zoom and briefly introduce ourselves and faculty will describe the methodology of the session. Session lasts ~6 hours (including a half hour for lunch). When the press editor/publisher departs, Colrain faculty member, who has been present throughout taking notes, re-visits and discusses the session as needed and provides strategies for future submission to presses.
To apply, please send 3-4 poems and a brief bio to conferences@colrainpoetry.com
Following successful application, the fee is $700.00. You will receive a Paypal link to register.
