Poetry Foundation Announces New Annual Award for Poetry Criticism
The Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism is accepting nominations through February 1
CHICAGO — The Poetry Foundation is pleased to introduce the new Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism. This annual award will honor the best book-length works of criticism published in the prior calendar year, including biographies, essay collections and critical editions that consider the subject of poetry or poets. The 2014 Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism will honor the author of a 2013 title with a $7,500 prize.
“This must be one of the great historical moments for poetry, as there are so many thriving poetry presses, reading series, and astonishing new poems,” said Poetry Foundation president Robert Polito. “The Poetry Foundation supports poets through Poetry magazine, our website, and a Chicago reading series, among numerous other ways, both public and behind-the-scenes. But those who read our magazine or poetryfoundation.org know that we also are deeply engaged by conversations about poetry, and this award for an outstanding critical book is an exciting addition to the Pegasus roster of poetry prizes.”
Publishers should submit titles to the Poetry Foundation by February 1, 2014, at poetryfoundation.org/criticism and include the author, title, publisher and publication date. Two copies of the final book under consideration should be mailed to the Poetry Foundation, to the attention of the Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism.
Winners of the Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism will be celebrated at an award ceremony on June 9, 2014, in Chicago.
The Poetry Foundation’s annual awards to poets include the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, which honors a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition, and the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowships, which recognize the work of five young poets. The Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships became the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowships as a result of a generous gift from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund in 2013. The first of these new fellowships will be announced and awarded in 2014.
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About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit poetryfoundation.org.
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