Six Poets on Why University Presses Are Critical for Poetry
Featuring Ariana Benson, Peter Gizzi, Romeo Oriogun, V. Penelope Pelizzon, Greg Rappleye, and Jess Smith
Published in Literary Hub, March 2025
“For anyone who pays attention to major literary awards, it will come as no surprise that university presses figure prominently among celebrated and vigorous publishers of contemporary poetry. In the past year alone, Tripas by Brandon Som (The Georgia Review and University of Georgia Press) won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Something About Living by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha (University of Akron Press) won the National Book Award for poetry, and Fierce Elegy by Peter Gizzi (Wesleyan University Press) won the T.S. Eliot Prize.
“Poetry publishing constitutes an important dimension of university presses’ mission to cultivate human knowledge…. Today, forty-six members of the Association of University Presses publish poetry. (While this article features authors who have published with American presses, a quick look at the AUPresses Subject Area Grid reveals university presses around the globe that support the vital creative work of poets.) Importantly, many of these presses identify and nurture first-time authors by sponsoring publication prizes.
“As National Poetry Month begins, let’s take a closer look at poetry publishing by university presses. Below, six poets describe their publishing experiences and reflect on university presses’ importance to the genre.”