James Laughlin Award Explained
See main article: Academy of American Poets.
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)
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 | | Emporium | Gillian Conoley, Fady Joudah, Cole Swensen |
| 2018 | | Night Angler | Patricia Spears Jones, Craig Santos Perez, Prageeta Sharma |
| 2017 | | Bury It | Tyehimba Jess, Ruth Ellen Kocher, Jill McDonough |
| 2016 | | Rayfish | Ellen Bass, Jericho Brown, Carmen Giménez Smith |
| 2015 | | The End of Pink | Francisco X. Alarcón, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, D. Nurske |
| 2014 | | A Several World | Lee Ann Brown, Tina Chang, C. S. Giscombe |
| 2013 | | The Book of Goodbyes | Jeffrey McDaniel, Brenda Shaughnessy, Susan Wheeler |
| 2012 | | The Game of Boxes | April Bernard, Cyrus Cassells, Dana Levin (poet) |
| 2011 | | You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake | Juliana Spahr, Brian Teare, Mónica de la Torre |
| 2010 | | 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 | | Human Dark with Sugar | Peter Gizzi, Matthea Harvey, Caroline Knox |
| 2006 | | Duende | Elizabeth Alexander, Kimiko Hahn, Terrance Hayes |
| 2005 | | Poeta en San Francisco | James Longenbach, Susan Stewart, Elizabeth Alexander |
| 2004 | | Music and Suicide | Elizabeth Alexander, Mary Jo Bang, Susan Stewart |
| 2003 | | The Long Meadow | Mary Jo Bang, Thom Gunn, Campbell McGrath |
| 2002 | | Spar | Mary Jo Bang, Daniel Hall, Campbell McGrath |
| 2001 | | Miracles & Mortifications | Daniel Hall, Campbell McGrath, Marilyn Nelson |
| 2000 | | A Point Is That Which Has No Part | Agha Shahid Ali, Lynn Emanuel, Marilyn Nelson |
| 1999 | | HIV, Mon Amour | Lynn Emanuel, Yusef Komunyakaa, Marilyn Nelson |
| 1998 | | Except by Nature | Lynn Emanuel, Yusef Komunyakaa, David St. John |
| 1997 | | Donkey Gospel | Yusef Komunyakaa, Heather McHugh, William Matthews |
| 1996 | | Wise Poison | Heather McHugh, William Matthews, David St. John | |
Lamont Poetry Selections (1975–1995)
| Year | Poet | Book | Judges |
| 1995 | | Neither World | Richard Kenney, Heather McHugh, David St. John |
| 1994 | | Song | Jorie Graham, Richard Kenney, David St. John |
| 1993 | | Stained Glass | Amy Clampitt, Jorie Graham, Richard Kenney |
| 1992 | | Wildwood Flower | Lucille Clifton, Jorie Graham, Robert Morgan |
| 1991 | | Campo Santo | Marvin Bell, Lucille Clifton, Robert Morgan |
| 1990 | | The City in Which I Love You | Marvin Bell, Sandra McPherson, Robert Morgan |
| 1989 | | Crime Against Nature | Marvin Bell, Alfred Corn, Sandra McPherson |
| 1988 | | Unfinished Painting | Alfred Corn, Sandra McPherson, Mary Oliver |
| 1987 | | The River of Heaven | Philip Booth, Alfred Corn, Mary Oliver |
| 1986 | | The Minute Hand | Philip Booth, Louise Glück, Mary Oliver |
| 1985 | | Victims of the Latest Dance Craze | Philip Booth, Louise Glück, Charles Simic |
| 1984 | | 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 | | Long Walks in the Afternoon | June Jordan, Richard Shelton, David Wagoner |
| 1981 | | The Country Between Us | William Harmon, June Jordan, Richard Shelton |
| 1980 | | More Trouble with the Obvious | William Harmon, Maxine Kumin, Richard Shelton |
| 1979 | | Sunrise | William Harmon, Maxine Kumin |
| 1978 | | Killing Floor | Maxine Kumin, Philip Levine, Charles Wright |
| 1977 | | Lucky Life | Alan Dugan, Philip Levine, Charles Wright |
| 1976 | | The Afterlife | Alan Dugan, Michael Harper, Philip Levine |
| 1975 | | The Private Life | Alan Dugan, John Haines, Michael Harper | |
Lamont Poetry Selections (1954–1974)
For the first 20 years, a poet's first published volume was the annual Lamont Poetry Selection.
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Beach, Christopher . Poetic Culture . 40 . Northwestern University Press . 1999 . 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..
- News: Shapiro . Harvey . The Timbre of Three New Voices . August 9, 1959 . The New York Times . 2009-05-15.
- Web site: James Laughlin Award . Academy of American Poets . July 8, 2020.
- Web site: The Academy of American Poets Announces the Recipients of the 2020 American Poets Prizes . The Academy of American Poets . 19 February 2021.
- http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20917 Academy of American Poets > Jennifer K. Sweeney Receives the James Laughlin Award
- http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-04-30/article/32784?headline=Five-Berkeley-Authors-Win-Northern-California-Book-Awards Five Berkeley Authors Win Northern California Book Awards
- http://www.boisestate.edu/english/ahsahta/books/morrison/morrison.htm
- https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/18/books/sharon-olds-receives-lamont-poetry-award.html Sharon Olds Receives Lamont Poetry Award
