It was a 501(c)(3) non-profit devoted to publishing poetry and literary fiction, with a special emphasis on the literature of Nebraska.
[4] The press published numerous award-winning titles, including the anthologies Times of Sorrow, Times of Grace (2003) and Nebraska Presence: An Anthology of Poetry (2007), which won Nebraska Book Awards.
According to Project MUSE, "Each year, the small Omaha press publishes two or three titles by Heartland writers, bringing the often stunning but sometimes forgotten voices of the Midwest to the literary world.
Backwaters Press has published approximately 90 authors in independent volumes of poetry.
Authors published by Backwaters Press include: long-time Nebraska State Poet William Kloefkorn (1982-2011), current Nebraska State Poet Twyla Hansen (2013-),[9] Kansas State Poet Denise Low (2007-2009),[10] and the multiple award-winning authors: Charles Fort,[11] Marge Saiser,[12] Lola Haskins,[13] Greg Kuzma, David Ray,[14] and Brent Spencer.