Please note: open submissions are currently on hiatus.

Attention artists and poets

My name is luke kurtis. I am on the hunt for art and poetry projects to publish through bd-studios.com, my art and publishing studio. My mission is to support talented folks by helping them bring their work into the world and making it accessible in print and eBook formats.

I seek poets who are dedicated to their craft but feel overlooked and underappreciated by more established publishers, or poets who are simply interested in collaboration with a press focused on careful consideration of books as designed objects. And I’m looking for visual artists who are looking to translate their work into book form.

I approach all projects as a form of artistic collaboration. My publishing process is collaborative and creative. I pay attention to details, and I make all of my books with an eye towards thoughtful design. Everything I do has a sense of style.

Substance over style

I am interested in many topics, including but not limited to abstraction, architecture, art, design, history, language, music, nature, sexuality, spirituality, and technology. Much of the work I publish is by queer creators, though I welcome everyone and especially encourage women, trans people, and people of color to submit their work.

I am drawn towards experimental, avant-garde, and conceptual styles but do not turn up my nose at something more traditional. I love it even more when your work somehow straddles those labels and exists in an in-between state. Sometimes the most subversive forms of creativity masquerade as something pedestrian. I am more interested in well-constructed ideas, economical use of language, and the sound/rhythm of your text than any particular form or style.

Poets who have developed their work with accompanying visuals, whatever the medium, are particularly encouraged to apply, as this kind of interdisciplinary approach is at the heart of what bd-studios.com is about. Please review the website, including previous publications and my artist portfolio, to get an even better sense of everything. There are also a couple of good conversations on the blog.

Next steps

If you have any questions before you submit, please reach out. However, response time varies, as do production and publication schedules for projects already underway. Once you have submitted, please allow at least three months before you query.

Currently, submissions are open on an ongoing basis on hiatus.

Please make all submissions using the bd submissions manager.