The English Roses were acquired by Penguin Group UK. Puffin Books, Penguin's children's imprint, published the books. The joint press release announcing the deal explained that each story book would involve Madonna working with a different illustrator. Madonna confirmed that all profits from sales of the book were to be donated to charity. She partnered with Amazon and recorded an exclusive audio message about the book for Amazon's customers. The message was available from September 3 and was the first opportunity for customers to hear the singer talking about "The English Roses". The book was not available to the press and media in
The Best American Poetry 2003 and Ted Kooser. The Best American Poetry 2003 The Best American Poetry 2003, a volume in "The Best American Poetry series", was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Yusef Komunyakaa. Ron Smith, reviewing the book in The Richmond Times-Dispatch, wrote that Galway Kinnell's "When the Towers Fell" is "often moving, even if it doesn't manage the fusion of Walt Whitman and T. S. Eliot it aims for." Another poem in the volume focusing on the effects of terrorism is Susan Dickman's "Skin". Smith thought the better poems in this edition were by Marilyn Nelson, Rodney Jones, Brigit Pegeen