Read an Interview with Jennifer Benka, The Forgotten River Anthology launch, and more

“Poetry has been an important resource for people throughout the pandemic. When we’re looking to understand what’s happening to us, it’s very helpful to turn to poems, and remember how resilient we are as communities.” Read an interview with President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, Jennifer Benka, featured on the National Endowment for the Arts blog. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess will judge the 2022 Academy of American Poets First Book Award, the nation’s most generous first-book prize for poetry. The winner will receive $5,000 and their manuscript will be published by Graywolf Press in 2023. Submissions will be accepted online between August 1 and October 1, 2021, and the recipient will be announced in April 2022 during National Poetry Month.