The PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry was given in odd-numbered years, alternating with the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. It recognized the high literary character of the published work of a new and emerging American poet of any age, who showed promise of further literary achievement. The award conferred $5,000 to a poet who had not published more than one book of poetry to date.ah Mixon-Webster – Stere
The PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry was discontinued as of June 1, 2020. All poets who would have been eligible are now eligible for the annual PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection, in recognition of the best poetry collection of the year.
JUDGES: Daniel Borzutzky, Ilya Kaminsky, Airea D. Matthews
From the judges’ citation: “For the high literary character of his debut collection, Stereo(TYPE), which explores the intersection of space and body, race and region, and sexuality and class; and wrestles with the ongoing crisis in Flint, MI.”
History
Previous Winners
2019 Jonah Mixon-Webster, Stereo(TYPE) (Ahsahta Press)2017 Natalie Scenters-Zapico, The Verging Cities (Center for Literary Publishing/Colorado State University)2015 Saeed Jones, Prelude to Bruise (Coffee House Press)2013 Rowan Ricardo Phillips, The Ground (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)2011 Ishion Hutchinson, Far District (Peepal Tree Press Ltd.)2009 Jeffrey Yang, An Aquarium (Graywolf Press)2007 Peter Covino, Cut Off the Ears of Winter (New Issues Poetry)2005 Yerra Sugarman, Forms of Gone (Sheep Meadow)2003 Dana Levin, In the Surgical Theater (Copper Canyon Press)2001 Richard Matthews, The Mill is Burning (Grove Press)1999 Nick Flynn, Some Ether: Poems (Graywolf Press)