About Passager

Passager (passage + passenger) is a small, independent literary press whose mission is to publish the work of older writers, encourage the imagination in the later stages of life, and create beautiful and welcoming publications.

In 1990, in Baltimore, Passager was born. The idea was to bring attention to writers over 50 by giving them opportunities to publish with a nationally recognized press. At that time, it was unusual to find men and women writing in their 80s and 90s, but now we are happy to report that more and more authors join those ranks every day.

Passager Books, founded in 2005, has published anthologies, poetry collections, short fiction and memoirs by authors whose work has appeared in our journal. Our writers are our high flying birds, our muses, who make public the passions of a generation vital to our survival.

We’d love to hear from you!

News

Plain Sight book cover

New from Passager Books: Plain Sight, an exquisite new collection from poet David Bergman.

The annual Passager Poetry Contest has begun! Submit up to 5 poems for a chance to win $1,000 plus a featured interview.

Headstone just received Massachusetts Book Awards Poetry Honors! Congratulations, Mark!

The Academy of American Poets has awarded Passager poet Moira Egan the Raiziss/De Palachi Fellowship for her translation of Letters of Black Fire by Italian poet Giorgiomaria Cornelio. 

“Book Prize Celebrates Older Poets” read the article Poets & Writers published about Passager.

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? Gilbert Arzola says he was a poet at 5 but the world changed him. Watch the interview with Gilbert about his collection Prayers of Little Consequence.

Featured Reading

Pushcart prize logo

We’re pleased to have nominated the following pieces for this year’s Pushcart Prizes:

“The Man Who Fell Off the Curb”
and “The Man Who Could Not Smile” by David Bergman, from Plain Sight

“Last Talk With Emiko” by George Drew and “Drinking with the Enemy” by Wayne Karlin, from the 2023 Passager Poetry Contest Issue

“Retroactive Baby Shower for Iva” by Kelly Madigan and “Wilmington” by Kevin Nance, from the 2023 Passager Special Issue on Ancestral Trauma

Congratulations, writers!