Recent News & Announcements
Fourth Annual Printers' Ball Announced
08.05.08: A celebration of print literature in Chicago, the Fourth Annual Printers’ Ball is set to take place Friday, August 22, at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
"Classical Baby (I'm Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show" Receives Primetime Emmy Nomination
07.18.08: Produced by HBO/HBO Family in association with the Poetry Foundation, “Classical Baby (I’m Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show,” is one of 5 shows nominated in the category of Outstanding Children’s Program for a 2008 Primetime Emmy® Award.
Watch “Classical Baby (I’m Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show” video segments.
Poetry Magazine Presents: Two Readings at Independent New York Bookstores
05.17.08:
Poetry magazine announces two readings in New York featuring recent magazine contributors.
Poetry Foundation Presents First-Ever Joint Reading by U.S. and U.K. Children’s Poets Laureate
05.02.08: A joint poetry reading by Jack Prelutsky, America’s first Children’s Poet Laureate, and Michael Rosen, Children’s Laureate of the United Kingdom, will take place May 20 at the TASIS school outside London.
Poetry Foundation Announces 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Champion
04.30.08: 16-year-old Shawntay Henry of the United States Virgin Islands is the 2008
Poetry Out Loud National Champion and recipient of a $20,000 scholarship prize.
Gary Snyder Wins 2008 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
04.29.08: Established in 1986 and presented annually by the Poetry Foundation, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets, and at $100,000 it is one of the nation’s largest literary honors. The prize will be presented to Snyder in Chicago on Thursday, May 29.
2008 National Finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
04.17.08: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation announce the National Finals of
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. On April 28 and 29, high school students who advanced from 52 poetry recitation championships in every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will gather at George Washington University Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC, to match their skills in poetry memorization and recitation. Special guest judges—including radio personality and novelist Garrison Keillor, Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, and 2007 national champion Amanda Fernandez—will assess the students’ presentations. Scott Simon of National Public Radio returns to serve as master of ceremonies.
Poetry Foundation announces bilingual Russian poetry reading
03.26.08: To celebrate the publication of
CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN POETRY: AN ANTHOLOGY, the Foundation is sponsoring a bilingual poetry reading on April 1 with Evgeny Bunimovich, Elena Fanailova, and Yuli Gugolev, with translations read by distinguished American poets, and introductions by Christian Wiman, editor of
Poetry magazine.
Poetry Everywhere
03.20.08: New series of poetry films premieres online, on public television, and on transit systems.
Poetry Foundation Collaborates with HBO on Classical Baby (I’m Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show
03.17.08: Latest installment of award-winning
Classical Baby television series features poems by Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Gertrude Stein, William Carlos Williams, Christina Rossetti, and Federico García Lorca. Premieres Saturday, April 12, at 5:00p.m. CST, on HBO.
Poetry Foundation Launches Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute
01.29.08: New initiative designed to address issues of importance to poetry by bringing together leading advocates and practitioners of the art form—poets, scholars, critics, translators, publishers, arts administrators—and thinkers from all areas of arts and culture.
Poetry Foundation Announces Spring 2008 Literary Series
01.14.08: Upcoming season of public poetry events includes poetry readings and lectures by U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic and the second half of
American Perspectives, a yearlong collaboration with the Art Institute and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Foundation Launches Poetry Syndicate for Newspapers
11.07.07: The Poetry Foundation announces a free weekly service for newspapers offering poetry book reviews, poetry columnists, and articles about poets and poetry, selected with the general reader in mind.
Poetry Presents Theatrical Interpretation of Frank Bidart’s “The Third Hour of the Night”
11.02.07:
Poetry magazine stages Frank Bidart’s complex and beautiful epic poem “The Third Hour of the Night.” Three performances, Friday–Sunday, November 16–18, 7:30 p.m., at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, Chicago.
53rd Annual Poetry Day with Eavan Boland
11.01.07: Eavan Boland will be the featured speaker at the 53rd Annual Poetry Day celebration on Wednesday, November 14, at 6:00 p.m. at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Poetry at the Pulitzer: Water
10.25.07: The Poetry Foundation and the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts are pleased to announce an evening of poetry and discussion in relation to the Pulitzer’s current exhibition,
Water. The second in a series of collaborations between the two organizations on art and poetry within the context of an exhibition at the Pulitzer, the event will feature noted art critic and poet
John Yau moderating a panel with some of the most innovative poets writing today, including
Andrew Joron,
Cole Swensen, and
Arthur Sze. Thursday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Make It News: A Symposium on Poetry and Journalism
10.23.07: The Poetry Foundation and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism are pleased to announce “Make It News: A Symposium on Poetry and Journalism.” The first in a series of collaborations between the two organizations, the symposium will feature two panels that look at what makes poetry newsworthy—and what makes news poetic.
Thursday, November 8, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Two Young Poets Win Ruth Lilly Fellowships
10.15.07: Two student poets—Sean Brian Bishop and Megan Grumbling—have won the 2007 Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships. Among the largest awards offered to aspiring writers in the United States, each Lilly Fellowship carries an award of $15,000 to help the recipients continue their study and writing of poetry.
Architect Selected to Design Home for Poetry Foundation
10.11.07: The Poetry Foundation board of trustees has selected Chicago-based John Ronan Architects to design its planned home for poetry.
Poetry Foundation and Chicago International Children’s Film Festival Launch “Reel Poetry” Initiative
10.10.07: During the 2007 Festival, which runs October 18 through November 8, the CICFF and the Poetry Foundation will partner on two pilot programs,
Reel Poetry and the
Dream Screen Animated Poetry Workshop, as well as announce the creation of a Poetry Foundation Film Prize in 2008.
Poet Anne Stevenson Wins $50,000 Neglected Masters Award
10.4.07: Anne Stevenson, Herbert Leibowitz, John Surowiecki, and Brian Culhane are the winners of the Poetry Foundation’s fourth annual Pegasus Awards. Established in 2004, the Pegasus Awards are a series of annual prizes with an emphasis on new awards to under-recognized poets and types of poetry.
Poetry Foundation & McSweeney’s Present Kwame Dawes, Mary Karr, Yusef Komunyakaa, Patricia Smith, and Rachel Zucker
10.2.07: The Poetry Foundation, publisher of
Poetry magazine and poetryfoundation.org, and McSweeney’s announce a reading with poets Kwame Dawes, Mary Karr, Yusef Komunyakaa, Patricia Smith, and Rachel Zucker. Wednesday, October 24, 7:00 p.m., Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby St, New York City.
Poetry Foundation Announces Fall 2007 Literary Series
08.18.07: Upcoming season of public poetry events features poetry readings, staged adaptations of verse drama, panel discussions, and lectures. Highlights include collaborations with the Art Institute and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a special performance of
The Waste Land, and the 53rd Annual Poetry Day featuring Eavan Boland.
Art Institute, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Poetry Foundation Announce the Season of American Perspectives
08.10.07: Yearlong collaboration celebrates the rich diversity of artistic expression that defines the American experience. More than 100 exhibitions, performances, lectures, poetry readings, and gallery talks—including the work of some of the country’s most prominent artists, writers, performers, and composers—will be featured, all exploring what American art is and how American art helps define America. The season kicks off with a full day of activities at the Art Institute on Saturday, September 15, 2007.
Poetry Foundation and Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral Present Inventions on Inventions: Poems Paired with J.S. Bach’s Three-Part Inventions
07.24.07: The Poetry Foundation and Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral present a free performance of Bach’s
Three-Part Inventions paired with poetry on Tuesday, July 31st, at 5:15 p.m. at the St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago.
3rd Annual Printers’ Ball Announced
06.21.07: Expanded Chicago literary festival includes month-long reading series. Created by local print publications, book publishers, and literary organizations, the festival provides readers with an opportunity to celebrate and explore Chicago’s vibrant print scene. Friday, July 20, at the Zhou B. Art Center in the heart of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.
Poetryfoundation.org Wins a Webby
05.30.07: In its first year, the Poetry Foundation’s website has been named Best Website in the Association category for 2007. The award will be presented on June 5, at the 11th Annual Webby Awards in New York.
Lucille Clifton Wins 2007 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
05.07.07: Established in 1986 and presented annually by the Poetry Foundation, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious given to American poets, and at $100,000 it is one of the nation’s largest literary honors. The prize will be presented to Clifton in Chicago on Wednesday, May 23.
National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation Announce 2007 National Champion of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
05.03.07: With a powerful command of the stage, D.C. high school senior Amanda Fernandez riveted audiences with “Ma Rainey,” a vibrant portrait of rural African-American life by poet Sterling A. Brown. The poem was one of three recitations that earned Fernandez the title of 2007
Poetry Out Loud National Champion and a $20,000 scholarship prize.
Chicago reading and discussion with bestselling poet, translator, and spiritualist Robert Bly
04.25.07: Collaboration with the Poetry Center of Chicago brings renowned poet and essayist Robert Bly to read in Chicago on Wednesday, May 30, at 6:30p.m. at the School of the Art Institute.
Poetry Foundation Forms Partnership with UK-Based Poetry Archive to Create Historic Audio Collection of American Poetry
04.19.07: The Poetry Foundation announces a transatlantic partnership with the United Kingdom–based Poetry Archive to create a compendium of more than 100 essential American poetry recordings. The collaboration is part of
Poetry Across the Atlantic program, an initiative to reacquaint the poetries of America and the United Kingdom.
2007 National Finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
04.09.07: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation announce the National Finals of
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. On April 30 and May 1, high school students who advanced from 51 poetry recitation championships in every state and the District of Columbia will gather at George Washington University Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC, to match their skills in poetry memorization and recitation. Special guest judges—including Garrison Keillor, host of the radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” poets Marilyn Chin and Kwame Dawes, and last year’s national champion Jackson Hille—will assess the students’ presentations. Scott Simon of National Public Radio returns to serve as master of ceremonies.
First-Ever Joint Reading by U.S. and British Poets Laureate
04.05.07: The Poetry Foundation will host U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall and British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion in a series of poetry readings in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and London. The transatlantic presentations mark the first time two sitting laureates have shared a stage and will take place on May 7, May 10, and June 6, respectively. The readings are co-sponsored by the Library of Congress and the London-based Poetry Society.
Poetry and the Portrait Symposium
03.28.07: The Poetry Foundation announces a night of poetry and discussion on
Wednesday, April 18, at 7 p.m., at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St. Louis, Mo. Panelists will include the writers Mary Jo Bang, Peter Campion, Geoff Dyer, and Raphael Rubinstein.
Poetry Off the Shelf: Tony Hoagland & Dean Young
03.20.07: Two of poetry’s sharpest wits—Tony Hoagland and Dean Young—square off in celebration of National Poetry Month on
Wednesday, April 4, at 6:00 pm at Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center, 400 South State Street.
“The Chicago Reading” by Jack Prelutsky
03.11.07: Jack Prelutsky, the nation’s first Children’s Poet Laureate, will give the first of two official readings on Tuesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m., at The Latin School of Chicago, 59 West North Street.
2007 Pegasus Awards Call for Entries
3.01.07: The Poetry Foundation announces a call for entries for the 2007 Verse Drama Prize and the 2007 Emily Dickinson Award. The prizes are part of the Pegasus Awards, a family of prizes created by the Poetry Foundation with an emphasis on under-recognized poets and types of poetry. Inaugurated in 2004, the Pegasus Awards are named annually in the fall.
Poetry Off the Shelf: Martín Espada
02.21.07: Poet and Martín Espada reads from and discusses his new collection of poetry,
The Republic of Poetry, on Thursday, March 15, at 6:00 p.m. at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, in Chicago.
Spirng 2007 Chicago Literary Series
02.07.07: The Poetry Foundation is pleased to announce the line-up for its 2007 Spring Literary Series, showcasing poets Kim Addonizio, Martín Espada, Tony Hoagland, Dean Young, Victor Hernández Cruz, Robert Bly, Pimone Triplett, Andrew Feld, and featuring the first-ever joint reading by the current U.S. and British Poets Laureate, Donald Hall and Andrew Motion.
Poetry Off the Shelf: Kevin Young
01.08.07: Poet and essayist Kevin Young reads from and discusses his new collection of poetry,
For the Confederate Dead, on Tuesday, January 16, at 6:00 p.m. at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, in Chicago.
3 PERFORMANCES—Poetry on Stage: Tartuffe
10.31.06: The Poetry Foundation announces a performance of Molière’s
Tartuffe. Second City co-founder Bernard Sahlins assembles a cast of Chicago’s finest actors for a staged reading of Richard Wilbur’s celebrated verse translation of
Le Tartuffe ou l’imposteur. This is the fifth production in the Poetry Foundation’s critically acclaimed Poetry on Stage series and runs in three performances from November 17-19 at the Cultural Center in Chicago.
Poetry Foundation First Book Prize Winner Published
10.17.06: Landis Everson's
Everything Preserved: Poems 1955-2005 has been released by Graywolf Press. The collection is the inaugural winner of the Poetry Foundation's Emily Dickinson First Book Award for a poet over the age of 50.
Poetry Day 2006 with Robert Hass
10.03.06: Robert Hass, the award-winning poet, translator, environmentalist, and former poet laureate, will be the featured speaker at the 52nd Annual Poetry Day celebration on Tuesday, October 17, at 6:00p.m., at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Poetry Foundation Names Jack Prelutsky First Children’s Poet Laureate
9.28.06: Jack Prelutsky is the inaugural winner of the first-ever Children’s Poet Laureate award from the Poetry Foundation. The $25,000 prize was announced at the third annual Pegasus Awards ceremony last night in Chicago.
Poetry Foundation to Name First Children’s Poet Laureate
9.18.06: The Foundation will inaugurate the nation’s first Children’s Poet Laureate as part of the third annual Pegasus Awards ceremony in Chicago on September 27, 2006. The $25,000 lifetime achievement award will be given to a living American writer in recognition of a career devoted to writing exceptional poetry for the young child.
Two Young Poets Win Ruth Lilly Fellowships
9.11.06: The Poetry Foundation has announced that two student poets—Colin Cheney and David Krump—have won the 2006 Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships. Among the largest awards offered to aspiring writers in the United States, each Lilly Fellowship carries an award of $15,000 to help the recipients continue their study and writing of poetry.
Poetry Foundation Announces Fall 2006 Literary Series
8.22.06: Upcoming season showcases renowned poets David Lehman, Mark Strand, Robert Hass, and Gary Snyder as well as a special performance of Molière’s
Tartuffe.
Free Performance of Bach’s Two-Part Inventions with Poetry
08.07.06: The Poetry Foundation, publisher of
Poetry magazine, in partnership with Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral present a free performance of Bach’s
Two-Part Inventions paired with poetry on Tuesday, August 15, at 5:15 pm.
2nd Annual Printers’ Ball Announced
07.06.06: The 2nd Annual Printers’ Ball is scheduled for Thursday, July 20th, at the Double Door in Chicago. Created by local print publications, book publishers, and literary organizations, the festival provides readers an opportunity to celebrate and explore Chicago’s vibrant print scene.
Poetry Foundation Announces National Champion of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
05.17.06: Columbus Alternative High School senior Jackson Hille wins first prize among 12 finalists from around the country.
Poetry Foundation and NEA announce the National Finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
05.01.06: High school students who advanced from 51 poetry recitation championships in every state will gather at the historic Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC, on May 16th to match their skills in poetry memorization and recitation. Celebrity judges, including poetry advocate Caroline Kennedy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic Michael Dirda, will assess the students' presentations. Scott Simon of National Public Radio will serve as master of ceremonies.
Richard Wilbur Wins 2006 Lilly Prize
04.18.06: Poet and translator Richard Wilbur has won the 2006 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Established in 1986, the prize is one of the most prestigious given to American poets, and at $100,000 it is one of the nation's largest literary honors.
Who Cares About Poetry? 90 Percent Of American Readers, New Study Shows
04.11.06: In a newly released report,
Poetry in America, the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago presents the results of an unprecedented study evaluating American attitudes toward poetry.
PoetryFoundation.org Celebrates National Poetry Month With Daily Poetry Podcast
03.29.06: Beginning on April 3, the Poetry Foundation will deliver a daily poetry podcast from PoetryFoundation.org, the Foundation's recently launched Web site for English-language poetry. The new audio series features high-quality recordings of poems, interviews with poets, and poetry documentaries.
Poetry Off the Shelf: Adam Zagajewski & Clare Cavanagh
03.28.06: In celebration of National Poetry Month, Adam Zagajewski, one of the leading poets of the Polish New Wave, and his award-winning translator, Clare Cavanagh, will read from and discuss their work on Thursday, April 27th, at 6:00 p.m. at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, in Chicago.
Poetry Foundation Announces Partnership With The Newshour
02.27.06: The Poetry Foundation announced today a news partnership with
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, a co-production of MacNeil Lehrer Productions and WETA, Washington, DC. The project intends to engage a broader audience with poetry through a series of thoughtful, in-depth reports on contemporary poets and poetry. The series will include the production of short-form profiles on living American poets and long-form segments on current debates in poetry that will air on The NewsHour during calendar year 2006. The pieces will also be available on the Online NewsHour and on www.PoetryFoundation.org as streaming audio/video.
Archibald MacLeish's JB: A Staged Reading
02.14.06: The Poetry Foundation announces a staged reading of Archibald MacLeish's
JB produced by Bernard Sahlins. This is the fourth production in the
Poetry on Stage series and runs from March 4-5 at the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 North Halsted Street, Chicago.
The Poetry Foundation Launches Comprehensive Online Poetry Archive
01.26.06: New site promotes access to the world's great poetry and strengthens the Poetry Foundation's commitment to a vigorous presence for poetry in American culture.
"American Life in Poetry" Reaches 1.5 Million Readers
12.12.05: The newspaper column created by Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, is reaching approximately 1.5 million readers every week, the Poetry Foundation announced today.
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
11.17.05: High school students across the nation to compete in national recitation contest. The Foundation and the NEA announce Poetry Out Loud, the expansion phase of a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.
2005 Pegasus Awards
10.07.05: The Foundation announced that Landis Everson, Tony Hoagland, and William Logan are the winners of its second annual Pegasus Awards.
10 Brecht Poems
09.26.05:
10 Brecht Poems—a Chicago premiere—at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. This is the third production in the Foundation's new Poetry on Stage series and runs from November 10-13.
National Poetry Recitation Contest
05.01.05: Devin Kenny won the Chicago regional finals of the National Poetry Recitation Contest for his rendering of Gertrude Stein's "Susie Asado" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on April 11th.
C.K. Williams Wins 2005 Lilly Prize
04.20.05: Established in 1986, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious given to American poets, and at $100,000 it is one of the largest literary honors for work in the English language.
American Life in Poetry
03.31.05: The Poetry Foundation has formed a partnership with the Library of Congress to support the American Life in Poetry project, an initiative of the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress Ted Kooser.
National Poetry Recitation Contest
To mark National Poetry Month, The Poetry Foundation, and After School Matters, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, will hold the Chicago finals of the National Poetry Recitation Contest on Monday, April 11.
Poetry Magazine Redesign
04.01.05:
Poetry Magazine editor Christian Wiman announced a redesign of the 93-year old literary publication.
Poetry's new look premiered with the April issue.
Poetry Research Initiative
03.28.05: The Foundation has commissioned an unprecedented, large-scale national research study on the state of poetry in America.
Poetry Off the Shelf: Kevin Young
03.23.05: In celebration of National Poetry Month, the prize-winning poet and essayist Kevin Young will read from his new collection,
Black Maria, a film noir in verse, on Tuesday, April 19, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street in Chicago.
Poetry in the Public Forum: Dana Gioia
03.21.05: As part of National Poetry Month, the Poetry Foundation and The Union League Civic & Arts Foundation will host a public lecture by Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia on Monday, April 4.
Poetry on Stage: Murder in the Cathedral
02.16.05: The Poetry Foundation is pleased to announce the premiere of "Poetry on Stage", a new series of dramatic readings of verse plays. The first production in the series, T.S. Eliot's
Murder in the Cathedral, will be presented in April on five succeeding nights at five Chicago-area churches.
2004 Pegasus Award Winners
10.06.04: The Poetry Foundation announced that Samuel Menashe and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins are the winners of its first Pegasus Awards.
