92NY Unterberg Poetry Center
DISCOVERY POETRY CONTEST
Four poets won the 2023 Discovery Poetry Contest. They are Lucas Jorgensen of Denton, Texas; Saba Keramati of Detroit; Jenna Lanzaro of Jersey City; and jj peña of El Paso, Texas. They each received $500, publication of their work on Literary Hub, and an invitation to give a reading at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Timothy Donnelly and Omotara James were the preliminary judges; Kaveh Akbar, Tracie Morris, and Simone White were the final judges. The annual awards are given to poets who have not published a full-length poetry collection. The next deadline is January 12, 2024.
92NY Unterberg Poetry Center, Discovery Poetry Contest, 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128. Sophie Herron, Contact.
92ny.org/poetry/discovery-contest.aspx
Action, Spectacle
EDITORS’ POETRY & PROSE PRIZE
Mag Gabbert of Dallas won the Editors’ Poetry & Prose Prize for “Considering Whether to Use ‘Cum’ or ‘Come’ in a Sext.” She received $1,000, and her poem will be published in Action, Spectacle. Mary Jo Bang judged. The annual award is given for a poem, a work of fiction, or a work of nonfiction.
(SEE DEADLINES.)
Action, Spectacle, Editors’ Poetry & Prose Prize, 831 Mulberry Street, Louisville, KY 40217. (502) 609-2705. Adam Day, Publisher.
African Poetry Book Fund
LUSCHEI PRIZE FOR AFRICAN POETRY
Togara Muzanenhamo of Norton, Zimbabwe, won the 2022 Luschei Prize for African Poetry for Virga (Carcanet Press, 2021). He received $1,000. Matthew Shenoda judged. The annual award is given for a book of poetry by an African poet published in the previous year.
(SEE DEADLINES.)
African Poetry Book Fund, Luschei Prize for African Poetry, University of Nebraska, 110 Andrews Hall, P.O. Box 880334, Lincoln, NE 68588. (402) 472-0911. Siwar Masannat, Managing Editor.
Alice James Books
ALICE JAMES AWARD
Esther Lin of Seattle won the 2023 Alice James Award for Cold Thief Place. She received $5,000, and her book will be published by Alice James Books in March 2025. The annual award is given for a poetry collection.
(SEE DEADLINES.)
Alice James Books, Alice James Award, Auburn Hall, 60 Pineland Drive, Suite 206, New Gloucester, ME 04260. (207) 926-8283.
A Public Space
WRITING FELLOWSHIPS
Poet Yee Heng Yeh of Penang, Malaysia; fiction writer CJ Green of Iowa City; and nonfiction writer Cory Howell Hamada of Fallbrook, California, received the 2023 A Public Space Writing Fellowships. They each received $1,000, a six-month mentorship with the editors to prepare a piece for publication in A Public Space, and the opportunity to meet with publishing professionals and participate in a public reading. The annual fellowships are given to emerging poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who have not published a full-length book. The next deadline is March 31, 2024. A Public Space, Writing Fellowships, P.O. Box B, New York, NY 10159. (718) 858-8067.
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE
Jacinda Townsend of Ann Arbor, Michigan, won the 2022 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for her novel, Mother Country (Graywolf Press).
She received $15,000 and was honored at a virtual awards ceremony in January. Anthony Grooms, Edward P. Jones, Elizabeth Nunez, Francine Prose, and Patricia Towers judged. The annual award is given to an emerging African American writer for a book of fiction published in the award year. The next deadline is December 31. Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, 100 North Street, Suite 900, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. (225) 387-6126. Travis Hutchins, Director of Donor Services.
Biographers International Organization
PLUTARCH AWARD
Jennifer Homans of New York City won the 2023 Plutarch Award for Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century (Random House, 2022). She received $2,000. Deirdre David, Roy Foster, Charlotte Jacobs, Tamara Payne, and Will Swift judged. The annual award is given for a biography. The next deadline is December 1. Biographers International Organization, Plutarch Award, P.O. Box 33020, Santa Fe, NM 87594. Michael Gately, Executive Director.
execdirector@biographersinternational.org
Blue Mountain Center
RICHARD J. MARGOLIS AWARD
of San Francisco won the 2022 Richard J. Margolis Award. She received $5,000 and a monthlong residency at the Blue Mountain Center, a writers and artists retreat in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. The annual award is given to an essayist or journalist whose work “combines warmth, humor, and wisdom, and sheds light on issues of social justice.” The next deadline is July 1, 2024. Blue Mountain Center,
