Samuel Washington Allen Prize, selected by Robert Pinsky
For a long poem or a sequence
Susan Donnelly, “The Maureen Papers”
Dzvinia Orlowsky, “The (Dis)enchanted Desna”
Honorable mention: David P. Miller, “Add One Father to Earth”
Honorable mention: Kathleen McCann, “Sail Away the Plenty”
Amy Lowell Prize, selected by Martha Collins
For an outstanding poem in any form or style by a poet with strong ties to New England
Nancy Brewka-Clark, “The Dark Night of Charles Olson”
Honorable mention: Jeremy Faro, “Groveland, Massachusetts, Summer 1979”
Honorable mention: Lee Varon, “Billy’s Valentine”
E.E. Cummings Prize, selected by Nicole Terez Dutton
For a compelling, lyrical, or experimental poem under 21 lines
James K. Zimmerman, “This Is the End of Winter, This Is the Beginning”
Diana Der-Hovanessian Prize, selected by Alan Smith Soto
For a translation
María Luisa Arroyo, “Moving Landscape”
Judge’s note:
The translation seems as though the poem were written originally in English, deftly rendering the contradictions that seem to give the poem pause, only to release it to a further movement, as true to the poem’s form, line breaks and phrasing as one could possibly imagine. A beautiful poem, rather wonderfully brought as a gift to our language.
Jean Pedrick Chapbook Prize, selected by Naila Moreira
For a chapbook published in the last two years
José Edmundo Ocampo Reyes, Present Values
Judge’s note:
Present Values by José Edmundo Ocampo Reyes floated to the top like a balloon. I read many fine chapbooks, but felt this one is something special – formally accomplished, emotionally rich, and resonant with our contemporary sociopolitical landscape. Like Derek Walcott, its author wrestles with conflicting identities – his “feelings neither red nor blue, but rather ombré/ like those of a frog as it sits in a pot of water on the brink of boiling” – to create a portrait of the formerly colonized nation of his native Philippines, western imperialism, and the immigrant experience. Juxtaposing the language traditions of English, Tagalog, and the jargon of finance, Reyes critiques history and the present day while never losing the poignancy and freshness of poetry.
Sheila Margaret Motton Book Prize, selected by the New England Poetry Club Board
For a full-length manuscript published in the last two years
Shara Lessley, The Explosive Expert’s Wife
Kevin Goodan, Anaphora
Honorable mention: Mia Ayumi Malhotra, Isako Isako
Honorable mention: D.M. Aderibigbe, How the End First Showed
Honorable mention: Maggie Smith, Good Bones