The University of Nebraska Press, the largest publisher between Chicago and California, continues to expand with the recent acquisition of The Backwaters Press and start of a distribution deal with History Nebraska.

Based in Omaha, Backwater Press has published 115 books since 1997.

“The Board of The Backwaters Press is excited and honored to have the press become an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, which has a long and storied tradition of quality publications and service to the reading and writing public,” said Greg Kosmicki, founding director of Backwater Press.

The University of Nebraska Press will continue the Backwaters poetry prize. The 2018 winner was John Sibley Williams from Portland, Oregon. His winning collection, “Skin Memory,” will be published in November. The 2019 competition will open April 1 and be judged by American poet Grace Bauer, a professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In addition to the purchase of Backwaters Press, the University of Nebraska Press began a new distribution deal with History Nebraska, formally known as Nebraska State Historical Society, on March 15.

“History Nebraska is the only statewide organization dedicated to sharing Nebraska history, and the University of Nebraska Press is dedicated to publishing books of cultural significance and enduring value,” said David Bristow, editor at History Nebraska,. “We’re excited to partner with a distributor who values Nebraska history and will help us reach a wide audience.”

History Nebraska has 11 books in print and will publish its 12th title, “Votes for Women: the 19th Amendment in Nebraska,” in August.

The University of Nebraska Press Journals division also partnered with North Dakota Quarterly last fall, further expanding important contributions in regional publishing.

“With these acquisitions, the University of Nebraska Press continues to demonstrate its commitment to the state and region,” Donna Shear, director of the University of Nebraska Press, said. “These three exciting additions add to our already robust program that includes publishing the “Discover the Great Plains” book series and two journals with the Center for Great Plains Studies, as well as our many books on Great Plains topics.”

In 2012, the University of Nebraska Press entered into a publishing partnership with the Jewish Publication Society and in 2013 it acquired Potomac Books, a publisher located in Washington, D.C. The newest local acquisitions will add to the University of Nebraska Press’s impressive list of new books and journals published every year.

Learn more about these and other University of Nebraska Press publications.