The Yale Series of Younger Poets Sweetens the Deal with James Merrill House Residency

Is it enough that the winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets will join the company of Muriel Rukeyser, Adrienne Rich, William Meredith, W.S. Merwin, John Ashbery, John Hollander, James Tate, and Carolyn Forché? The good folks at Yale say, NO! Starting in 2012, the winner of this prestigious award will also receive a one month residency at the James Merrill House. From the press release:

Each year, beginning in Fall of 2012, a Merrill House Brief Residency and stipend will be reserved for the winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition.

The Yale Younger Poetry Prize is the longest running and, arguably, the most prestigious poetry contest in the United States. Since 1919, it has celebrated the most prominent new American poets by bringing the work of these artists to the attention of the larger public. The award is reserved for poets under the age of 40 who have not yet published a book of poetry. More information about the prize and application instructions and be found here.

Our partnership with Yale University Press and our association with the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize is a natural one given our Connecticut location and the fact that James Merrill served as judge for seven terms during the 1980s. Two winners from that era, Daniel Hall and Brigit Kelly, went on to become Merrill House Fellows. Earlier winners of the prize include such talents as Adrienne Rich, John Ashbery, and Robert Hass.

This year’s prize winner is former Merrill House Writer-in-Residence Will Schutt for his manuscript WESTERLY.

Thanks, James Merrill House! And congrats to Will Schutt!