Poet William Waltz was immersed in the punk scene when he began his MFA at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. While still a self-declared “nontraditional student,” he founded Conduit in 1993 when it dawned on him “that there was a need and a desire for a different kind of journal,” adding, “I thought the lit mag scene could use a jolt of play and irreverence, so, for example, I chose to use page-words instead of page-numbers.” Now based in Saint Paul, the magazine celebrated twenty-five years in 2018 by launching a book division called Conduit Books & Ephemera. Conduit Books shares the quirky aesthetic of the journal and typically publishes two poetry books per year. Recent titles include Dara Barrois/Dixon’s poetry collection Extremely Expensive Mystical Experiences for Astronauts (2024), which Waltz calls “a stunner…with a dreamy cover to boot,” and Trey Moody’s poetry collection Autoblivion (2023), which Ocean Vuong calls “inimitable” and praises for its ability to “estrange the mundane.”
The press primarily finds new titles through two yearly contests. The Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize is awarded annually for a debut poetry collection and is open for submissions through July 7. The Minds on Fire Open Book Prize, also awarded annually for a poetry collection, is open to any poet writing in English, regardless of previous publication record; submissions will open on August 1 and close November 3. There is a $25 submission fee for both prizes. To writers submitting, Waltz advises: “We’re looking for work that proves itself to be innovative and honest, original and sincere. We’re not afraid of weird if weird is a way to truth, beauty, music, and understanding.” Adversely affected by the sudden demise of Small Press Distribution, Conduit recently applied for and was awarded a grant from the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). The grant was intended to support “presses seeking new ways forward…as opposed to recouping losses,” and Waltz is eager to do just that. Waltz plans to grow the Conduit list and increase the number of books the press publishes each year. “Our goal,” he says, “is to bring more people to poetry and deep rumination.”
