James Laughlin Award

The James Laughlin Award, formerly the Lamont Poetry Prize, is given annually for a poet's second published book; it is the only major poetry award that honors a second book. The award is given by the Academy of American Poets, and is noted as one of the major prizes awarded to younger poets in the United States.[1] It is currently named after James Laughlin, an American poet and editor who founded New Directions Publishing, the distributor of English-translated Siddhartha. In 1959, Harvey Shapiro referred to the award as "roughly, a Pulitzer for bardlings."[2]

Laughlin Award Winners (1996–present)

[edit]

This partial listing is taken from the website of the Academy of American Poets.[3]

Year Poet Book Judges
2022 Annelyse Gelman Vexations Solmaz Sharif, Aracelis Girmay
2021 James Cagney Martian Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Mark Bibbins, Ladan Osman
2020 Chet'la Sebree Field Study Rick Barot, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers[4]
2019 Aditi Machado Emporium Gillian Conoley, Fady Joudah, Cole Swensen
2018 Geffrey Davis Night Angler Patricia Spears Jones, Craig Santos Perez, Prageeta Sharma
2017 sam sax Bury It Tyehimba Jess, Ruth Ellen Kocher, Jill McDonough
2016 Mary Hickman Rayfish Ellen Bass, Jericho Brown, Carmen Giménez Smith
2015 Kathryn Nuernberger The End of Pink Francisco X. Alarcón, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, D. Nurske
2014 Brian Blanchfield A Several World Lee Ann Brown, Tina Chang, C. S. Giscombe
2013 Jillian Weise The Book of Goodbyes Jeffrey McDaniel, Brenda Shaughnessy, Susan Wheeler
2012 Catherine Barnett The Game of Boxes April Bernard, Cyrus Cassells, Dana Levin (poet)
2011 Anna Moschovakis You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake Juliana Spahr, Brian Teare, Mónica de la Torre
2010 Michael Dickman Flies Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Major Jackson, Michael Ryan
2009 Jennifer K. Sweeney[5] How to Live on Bread and Music Robin Becker, Bob Hicok, Afaa M. Weaver
2008 Rusty Morrison[6] the true keeps calm biding its story[7] Rae Armantrout, Claudia Rankine, Bruce Smith
2007 Brenda Shaughnessy Human Dark with Sugar Peter Gizzi, Matthea Harvey, Caroline Knox
2006 Tracy K. Smith Duende Elizabeth Alexander, Kimiko Hahn, Terrance Hayes
2005 Barbara Jane Reyes Poeta en San Francisco James Longenbach, Susan Stewart, Elizabeth Alexander
2004 Jeff Clark Music and Suicide Elizabeth Alexander, Mary Jo Bang, Susan Stewart
2003 Vijay Seshadri The Long Meadow Mary Jo Bang, Thom Gunn, Campbell McGrath
2002 Karen Volkman Spar Mary Jo Bang, Daniel Hall, Campbell McGrath
2001 Peter Johnson Miracles & Mortifications Daniel Hall, Campbell McGrath, Marilyn Nelson
2000 Liz Waldner A Point Is That Which Has No Part Agha Shahid Ali, Lynn Emanuel, Marilyn Nelson
1999 Tory Dent HIV, Mon Amour Lynn Emanuel, Yusef Komunyakaa, Marilyn Nelson
1998 Sandra Alcosser Except by Nature Lynn Emanuel, Yusef Komunyakaa, David St. John
1997 Tony Hoagland Donkey Gospel Yusef Komunyakaa, Heather McHugh, William Matthews
1996 David Rivard Wise Poison Heather McHugh, William Matthews, David St. John

Lamont Poetry Selections (1975–1995)

[edit]
Year Poet Book Judges
1995 Ralph Angel Neither World Richard Kenney, Heather McHugh, David St. John
1994 Brigit Pegeen Kelly Song Jorie Graham, Richard Kenney, David St. John
1993 Rosanna Warren Stained Glass Amy Clampitt, Jorie Graham, Richard Kenney
1992 Kathryn Stripling Byer Wildwood Flower Lucille Clifton, Jorie Graham, Robert Morgan
1991 Susan Wood Campo Santo Marvin Bell, Lucille Clifton, Robert Morgan
1990 Li-Young Lee The City in Which I Love You Marvin Bell, Sandra McPherson, Robert Morgan
1989 Minnie Bruce Pratt Crime Against Nature Marvin Bell, Alfred Corn, Sandra McPherson
1988 Mary Jo Salter Unfinished Painting Alfred Corn, Sandra McPherson, Mary Oliver
1987 Garrett Hongo The River of Heaven Philip Booth, Alfred Corn, Mary Oliver
1986 Jane Shore The Minute Hand Philip Booth, Louise Glück, Mary Oliver
1985 Cornelius Eady Victims of the Latest Dance Craze Philip Booth, Louise Glück, Charles Simic
1984 Philip Schultz Deep Within the Ravine Louise Glück, Charles Simic, David Wagoner
1983 Sharon Olds[8] The Dead and the Living June Jordan, Charles Simic, David Wagoner
1982 Margaret Gibson Long Walks in the Afternoon June Jordan, Richard Shelton, David Wagoner
1981 Carolyn Forché The Country Between Us William Harmon, June Jordan, Richard Shelton
1980 Michael Van Walleghen More Trouble with the Obvious William Harmon, Maxine Kumin, Richard Shelton
1979 Frederick Seidel Sunrise William Harmon, Maxine Kumin
1978 Ai Killing Floor Maxine Kumin, Philip Levine, Charles Wright
1977 Gerald Stern Lucky Life Alan Dugan, Philip Levine, Charles Wright
1976 Larry Levis The Afterlife Alan Dugan, Michael Harper, Philip Levine
1975 Lisel Mueller The Private Life Alan Dugan, John Haines, Michael Harper

Lamont Poetry Selections (1954–1974)

[edit]

For the first 20 years, a poet's first published volume was the annual Lamont Poetry Selection.

1974 John Balaban
1973 Marilyn Hacker
1972 Peter Everwine
1971 Stephen Dobyns
1970 William Harmon
1969 Marvin Bell
1968 Jane Cooper
1967 James Scully
1966 Kenneth O. Hanson
1965 Henri Coulette
1964 Adrien Stoutenburg
1963 No award
1962 Edward Field
1961 X. J. Kennedy
1960 Robert Mezey
1959 Donald Justice
1958 Ned O'Gorman
1957 Daniel Berrigan, S. J.
1956 Philip Booth
1955 Donald Hall
1954 Constance Carrier

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Beach, Christopher (1999). Poetic Culture. Northwestern University Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-8101-1678-8. The vast majority of those winning the major awards for younger poets over the last two decades (Guggenheims, Lamont prizes, the National Poetry Series, for example) have held graduate degrees in creative writing.
  2. ^ Shapiro, Harvey (August 9, 1959). "The Timbre of Three New Voices". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  3. ^ "James Laughlin Award". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Academy of American Poets Announces the Recipients of the 2020 American Poets Prizes". The Academy of American Poets. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  5. ^ Academy of American Poets > Jennifer K. Sweeney Receives the James Laughlin Award
  6. ^ Five Berkeley Authors Win Northern California Book Awards, Berkeley Daily Planet, April 30, 2009
  7. ^ [1] Archived December 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Sharon Olds Receives Lamont Poetry Award New York Times, September 18, 1983