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River Paw Press

River Paw Press Names Nicole Yurcaba 2026 Author of the Year

River Paw Press is pleased to announce Nicole Yurcaba, author of Hutsulka, as the recipient of its 2026 Author of the Year Award.

The Ukrainian-American poet is recognized for her poetry collection Hutsulka, its critical reception, her sustained engagement with readers and literary communities, and her contributions to the book’s overall performance and growing readership.

Hutsulka, a finalist for the 2025 Silent River Poetry Prize, was published by River Paw Press in 2026. The collection explores ancestral memory, cultural identity, personal relationships, and the continuing impact of the war in Ukraine.

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Pictures Never Taken: Now Available for Pre-order 

“Memories slip, unfaithful, dissolving
at the very moment they’re needed the most…” (Tonight)

River Paw Press is delighted to announce the presale of Pictures Never Taken, a poetry chapbook by Chinese-American poet and author Zhu Xiao Di.

Shortlisted for the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize, Pictures Never Taken explores the invisible threads that connect generations across time and borders.

River Paw Press offers a special pre-sale discount on this chapbook for a limited time. To learn more, and to purchase your copy, click on the link.

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Knucklehead: Now Available for Pre-order

Even rocks change.
Pebbles were stones, boulders,
mountains, in time, sand, then dust. (“Right Tail on a Distribution”)

River Paw Press is delighted to announce the pre-sale of Knucklehead a poetry chapbook by Nick Godec.

Shortlisted for the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize, Knucklehead is a heartfelt and honest portrayal of youth, struggle, recovery, and resilience. Through a voice that is both vulnerable and unflinching, the collection traces a deeply human journey toward self-understanding, transformation, hope, and renewal.

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A Longer Word Than Sorrow: Now Available for Pre-Order

“…as if / sorrow were a thing to be / shouldered alone then laid / down when needed, using all / the plainest words you know.” (A Longer Word Than Sorrow)

River Paw Press is delighted to announce the pre-sale of A Longer Word Than Sorrow a poetry chapbook by Karl Sherlock.

Shortlisted for the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize, A Longer Word Than Sorrow is a richly textured collection of poems about…

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Mute Gospel: Now Available for Pre-Order

“Tomorrow, as if to prove again the bright resilience
of the frailest of us, I will talk to the spruce again.” (Gratitude)

—River Paw Press is delighted to announce the pre-sale of Mute Gospel, a poetry chapbook by Nancy Huxtable Mohr, the Semi-Finalist for the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize.

Mute Gospel is a book of beauty of the rural America, connection with the land, ancestral stories, nature, and ecological awareness, strung together as brilliant pearls of poetry.

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The Staggering Sum: Now Available for Pre-Order

River Paw Press is delighted to announce the pre-sale of “The Staggering Sum,” a poetry chapbook by James Lilliefors, the Finalist for the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize. We offer a special pre-sale discount on this magnificent chapbook for a limited time and invites readers, educators, libraries, and reviewers to reserve a copy of the book while the discounted rate is available.

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Announcing the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize Winner and Official Selections

Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Irvine, California — June 30, 2026 River Paw Press is pleased to announce the Winner, Finalist, and Semi-Finalist of the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize (Chapbook). This year’s competition brought together a remarkable collection of poetry chapbooks, each offering a distinct voice, perspective, and artistic vision. After careful reading, multiple…

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2026 Silent River Poetry Prize Chapbook Longlist

River Paw Press is pleased to announce the Longlist for the 2026 Silent River Poetry Prize. The following manuscripts have been selected for the 2026 Longlist in recognition of their literary merit and their distinction within this year’s submission pool: The judging process remains ongoing, and the shortlist will be announced soon, following the completion…

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Elemental: 2025 Earth Amulet Poetry Prize Anthology

On Earth Day, we’re pleased to reveal the cover of Elemental, the 2025 “Earth Amulet Poetry Prize” anthology, presented and published by River Paw Press. The anthology, edited by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis features the work of 30 poets, including award-winning and honorable mention poems, along with a selection of notable works that engage with the environment,…

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Dead Boys I have Known: Now Available for Pre-Order

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE River Paw Press is delighted to announce the publication of Dead Boys I Have Known, a poetry chapbook by Joanna Grant, a Semi-Finalist at the 2025 Silent River Poetry Prize. River Paw Press offers a special pre-sale discount on this award-winning chapbook for a limited time. We invite readers, educators, libraries,…

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Hutsulka: Now Available for Pre-Order

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE River Paw Press is delighted to announce the publication of Hutsulka a poetry chapbook by Nicole Yurcaba. Hutsulka, a 2025 Silent River Poetry Prize Finalist, is a fierce and intimate sequence of odes written in the shadow of Russia-Ukraine war. Rooted in ancestral memory of the author and shaped by present-day events,…

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Press Release: River Paw Press’s First 2026 Release: Bare Soul in English and Ukrainian

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release River Paw Press Announces the Bilingual Edition of Bare Soul in English and Ukrainian Irvine, CA, USA — February 1, 2026: River Paw Press proudly announces the publication of Bare Soul: Оголена Душа, a bilingual poetry collection by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis (Калпна Сінг-Чітніс), translated into Ukrainian by Ihor Pavlyuk (Ігор Павлюк)—People’s…

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Kalpna Singh-Chitnis Awarded the 30th Poseidonia–Paestum International Poetry Prize

PRESS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Kalpna Singh-Chitnis Awarded at the 30th Poseidonia–Paestum International Poetry Prize in Italy

 Paestum, Italy — May 20, 2025 — Renowned Indian-American poet, filmmaker, and literary activist Kalpna Singh-Chitnis has been awarded First Prize (Foreign Poets Section) at the prestigious 30th Poseidonia–Paestum International Poetry Prize for her poem “Lipstick,”…

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“Poetry of Empathy and the Art of Resistance & Dissent” Panel at AWP 2025 Presented by River Paw Press

Los Angeles, CA — March 29, 2025 — The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Los Angeles featured a powerful and thought-provoking panel titled “Poetry of Empathy and the Art of Resistance & Dissent” on Saturday, March 29, 2025. The session took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Presented by River Paw Press, the panel brought together acclaimed literary voices who explored the transformative power of poetry in times of social and political crisis.

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River Paw Press Celebrates Hryhorii Kochur Award for the Translation of “Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava—Любовні листи до України від Уяви” by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, Translated into Ukrainian by Volodymyr Tymchuk

“The Hryhorii Kochur Literary Award is a major state honor in Ukraine that celebrates excellence in poetic translation and has traditionally been awarded for translations of classical works into Ukrainian. This is the first time a work by a contemporary poet, translated by a fellow poet and soldier, has received this recognition—a significant milestone for both the author and the translator.”



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Press Release: Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava Honored as a Finalist at the 14th Annual International Book Awards by American Book Fest!

River Paw Press is thrilled to announce that ‘Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava’ a poetry collection by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, with its Ukrainian translation by Volodymyr Tychuck, has been named a Finalist in the Contemporary Poetry category at the esteemed International Book Awards presented by the American Book Fest.

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Press Release: Sunflowers: Ukrainian Poetry on War, Resistance, Hope and Peace Shortlisted at the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA)

Greater Los Angeles, California, USA. June 26, 2023 Press Release — For Immediate Release “Sunflowers: Ukrainian Poetry on War, Resistance, Hope and Peace,” a remarkable collection of Ukrainian poetry curated and edited by Indian-American poet Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, has been shortlisted at the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA). On this occasion, we want to…

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Press Release: Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis Publishes

Greater Los Angeles, California, USA. March 11, 2023. Press Release — For Immediate Release  Book Release: Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis Releases“Fresh on the heels of editing the wide-ranging and necessary anthology, “Sunflowers: Ukrainian Poetry on War, Resistance, Hope and Peace,” poet Kalpna Singh-Chitnis has responded with impassioned verses of empathy…

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River Paw Press: Celebrating the 2nd Anniversary

To commemorate this special day, River Paw Press will be making some major announcements in the coming weeks to usher into the New Year with a greater commitment and exciting opportunities for poets and writers. We also want to thank our readers, supporters and contributors by extending special promotional offers on our best-selling anthologies “Sunflowers: Ukrainian Poems on War, Resistance, Hope and Peace,” “Oxygen: Parables of the Pandemic,” and “Paws Healing the Earth.” Please visit our bookshop for more information.

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The Intelligent Beast Reading Series Hosts River Paw Press Authors at Avenue 50 Studio in Los Angeles

The Intelligent Beast Reading Series hosts four River Paw Press authors, Richard Modiano, Susan Rogers, Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, and Alicia Vigure-Espert, based in Los Angeles for a reading at Avenue 50 Studio. The featured poets are expected to read from “Paws Healing The Earth,” “Oxygen: Parables of the Pandemic,” and ”Sunflowers,” an anthology of Ukrainian Poems…

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Oxygen: Parables of the Pandemic Releases

We are pleased to announce the publications of “Oxygen: Parables of the Pandemic.” The works in this collection, like rain, water the seeds of our consciousness to break from the illusion of our separateness. In our fragile existence and sufferings, we are one and together, aware of our neglects, the joy of our survival, and the importance of our mindful actions in saving our planet. ~ Kalpna Singh-Chitnis

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Paws Healing The Earth Book Launch

“…this anthology feels as much like a group prayer as it does like a book.” ~ Melissa Studdard Paws Healing The Earth (poetry anthology) was officially launched on April 20th, 2021, in an online event premiered on YouTube hosted by River Paw Press. The book launch was attended by honored guests and Paws Healing The Earth contributors:…

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Paws Healing The Earth Releases

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France We are delighted to announce the birth of the Paws Healing The Earth, the first poetry anthology published by River Paw Press released on March 29th, 2021. We sincerely thank and congratulate all poets who have made this exceptional anthology…

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