Genre: Poetry

Common Words

2.25.25

According to the Oxford English Corpus, a text corpus of twenty-first-century English with over two billion words collected from online and print sources produced by Anglophone countries, time, person, year, way, and day are the top five most common nouns in the English language. Browse through lists of the most common words, whether nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, pronouns, or articles. Instead of making use of unusual language, write a poem that revolves around playing with the most common ones. Experiment with how you might be able to manipulate unconventional repetition, syntax, spacing, or grammar to express fresh and unexpected meanings.

Evie Shockley at Smith College

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In this event hosted by the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center at Smith College, Evie Shockley reads a selection of new poems, as well as some from her latest poetry collection, suddenly we (Wesleyan University Press, 2023), and discusses her vision for solidarity in these times in a conversation with Yona Harvey.

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Patrycja Humienik

Caption: 

In this episode of Tightwires with host Hiba Tahir, poet Patrycja Humienik talks about navigating grad school and writing, identity, and her debut collection, We Contain Landscapes (Tin House, 2025), which is featured in Page One in the March/April issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

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Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize

Academy of American Poets
Entry Fee: 
$75
Deadline: 
May 15, 2025
A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives a 10-day residency at the Glen Hollow cottage in Naples, New York. Copies of the winning book are distributed to approximately 2,500 members of the Academy of American Poets. Self-published books are not accepted. Using only the online submission system, U.S. publishers may submit PDF copies of any number of books of at least 48 pages published in 2024 with a $75 entry fee by May 15. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Maya Angelou Book Award

Kansas City Public Library
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
April 1, 2025
A prize of $10,000 is given in alternating years for a poetry collection or a book of fiction by an author whose work “demonstrates a commitment to social justice and diversifies contemporary American literature.” This year the award will be given for a poetry collection. The winner agrees to participate in a reading tour of Missouri colleges, universities, and libraries as well as a ceremony sponsored by the Kansas City Public Library, the University of Missouri, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Publishers may submit a digital copy or five print copies (or unbound galleys) of a poetry collection published in 2024 (or scheduled to be published by the end of November 2025) by April 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Louise Bogan Award

Trio House Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
March 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Randall Mann will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize

American Literary Translators Association
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 17, 2025
A prize of $6,000 is given annually for a book of poetry or a text from Zen Buddhism translated from an Asian language into English and published in the previous year. Publishers or translators may submit a book translated from Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Sanskrit, Tamil, Thai, or Vietnamese into English and published in 2024 by March 17. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Lascaux Prize in Poetry

Lascaux Review
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
March 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a single poem. Previously published and unpublished poems are accepted. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length with a $15 entry fee by March 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Trio Award for First or Second Book

Trio House Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
March 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Sierra DeMulder will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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