Ex Ophidia Press helps to sustain the bright future of poetry through their annual publication.
By Abigail Gocek
Ex Ophidia Press Honors Poets with Rummonds Contest
August 13th, 2025
The written word, one of the oldest forms of communication and expression, has long been utilized to convey meaning from the author to the reader. When it comes to invoking thought or emotion, poetry reigns supreme. For poet, educator and publisher Amy Haddad poetry is both a dynamic literary art but also an important tool for examining different perspectives.
Haddad began her poetry career after her retirement from educating. After earning a master’s of fine arts in poetry, she began writing and has since had several of her works published. In 2023, Haddad joined Ex Ophidia Press as the new publisher and managing editor.
Ex-Ophidia Press debuted their annual poetry book contest in 2016. Poets in all stages of their career are able to send in their work for consideration. The winner of the contest is awarded $2,000 and has their submitted work published as a poetry book through the press. Although the contest was put into a temporary hiatus in 2022, the contest was resumed in 2024 after Amy gained ownership of the press. That same year, the contest was renamed after the Ex-Ophidia Press founder, Richard-Gabriel Rummonds.
After whittling down 300 submissions, the winner of the 2024 Richard-Gabriel Rummonds poetry book contest was announced to be Abby Murray. This summer, Ex-Ophidia press published their poetry collection titled, Recovery Commands. The press hosted three events that were open to the public this year in celebration of Abby’s book Recovery Commands being published.
Abby Murray hosted a workshop, and fellow poets Julie Paschold and Ava Nathaniel Winter held poetry readings. With her first contest completed and book published, Haddad is already gearing up for the celebrations of the next published book.
Ex Ophidia Press’ 2025 Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Book Contest is currently accepting submissions. Poets are free to submit their work through September 15.
To learn more or submit an entry for the contest, you can visit the press’ website at exophidiapress.org.
