Donald Justice Poetry Prize
The Donald Justice Poetry Prize is a national competition[1] sponsored by the Iris N. Spencer Poetry Awards of the West Chester University Poetry Center. It has been given annually since 2006 to an American poet for an unpublished book-length manuscript of formal poetry.[2]
| Donald Justice Poetry Prize | |
|---|---|
 The logo as it appears on books that have won | |
| Awarded for | unpublished 50-100 typed page manuscript of formal poetry |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | WCU Poetry Center |
| Reward(s) | $1500, publication |
| First awarded | 2006 |
| Last awarded | 2018 |
| Website | Donald Justice Poetry Prize |
Each year, one manuscript is selected for the award [3] and is published in the spring. The submissions are judged blindly and selected by a notable poet who works in traditional forms. Past judges have included R. S. Gwynn, David Mason,[4]A. E. Stallings,[5] and Marilyn Nelson.
The winner receives $1,500 and will have the manuscript published by Autumn House Press. Prior to 2018, winning poetry collections were either published by Measure Press or West Chester University. The award is presented at the annual West Chester University Poetry Conference in early June. A full scholarship to the conference is included as part of the award.
Past winners
The following are the winners of the Donald Justice Poetry Award:[6]
- 2006 — Kate Light, Gravity's Dream: New Poems and Sonnets
- 2007 — Kim Bridgford, In the Extreme: Sonnets about World Records
- 2008 — John Poch, Two Men Fighting with a Knife[1][7]
- 2009 — Julie Kane, Jazz Funeral[8]
- 2010 — Ned Balbo, Trials of Edgar Poe and Other Poems[5]
- 2011 — Amit Majmudar, Heaven and Earth
- 2012 — Joanna Pearson, Oldest Mortal Myth
- 2013 — Anne-MarieThompson, Audiation
- 2014 — Susan McLean, The Whetstone Misses the Knife
- 2014 — Stephen Gibson, Rorschach Art Too
- 2015 — Jeff Hardin, Restoring the Narrative
- 2015 — Pat Valdata, Where No Man Can Touch
- 2017 — Ryan Wilson, The Stranger World
- 2018 — Chad Abushanab, The Last Visit
References
- Jessica Benham. "Texas Tech University Professor Receives Prestigious Donald Justice Poetry Prize." Texas Tech News. July 14, 2008
- Julie Kane ~ interviewed by Derek Alger
- Lori A. May "An interview with Ned Balbo." Poets’ Quarterly Issue 3 - Spring 2010
- "Education briefly." Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. July 21, 2008
- "Cenla Campus Spotlight." The Town Talk. Alexandria, La. Oct 6, 2008.