National Book Award for Poetry

An annual American literary prize recognizing an outstanding book of poetry by a U.S. author. It is one of the National Book Awards’ nonfiction and literary categories.

National Book Award: A set of annual American literary prizes recognizing books across several categories. The Poetry prize is one category within this larger awards program.
American poetry: Poetry written in the United States, spanning diverse traditions, languages, and historical periods. The award recognizes books within this broad and changing literary tradition.
The Tradition: A poetry collection by Jericho Brown, published in 2019 and winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Its National Book Award win brought a formally inventive collection to broad attention.
Jericho Brown: An American poet and professor whose collections include The Tradition and Please. His 2020 win brought the collection’s inventive forms into the award’s spotlight.
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: An annual American prize recognizing a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author. Comparing winners shows how two major prizes make distinct judgments about poetry.
National Book Award for Fiction: An annual American literary prize recognizing an outstanding work of fiction by a U.S. author. It shares the awards’ structure and selection process while honoring fiction.
William Carlos Williams: An American modernist poet known for vernacular language and close attention to everyday life. His 1950 poetry prize links the category’s beginnings to American modernism.
Incendiary Art: A 2016 poetry collection by Patricia Smith, winner of the 2017 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry. Its award-winning reception demonstrates the category’s recognition of politically urgent work.
Ada Limón: An American poet whose books include The Carrying and Bright Dead Things. Her 2018 win connected the award with a widely read contemporary poetic voice.
Poetry publishing: The production, distribution, and promotion of poetry books by publishers and literary institutions. Award attention can help a poetry collection reach bookstores, libraries, and new audiences.

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