Poetry Foundation
American literary society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from Poetry magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Ruth Lilly.[1]
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| |
 The foundation's headquarters building in Chicago | |
 | |
| Founded | January 1, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent literary organization |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 41°53′43.8″N 87°37′47.9″W |
| Services | Publication; conferences; library |
Key people | Michelle Boone, President |
| Website | poetryfoundation |
Formerly called | Modern Poetry Association |
Its mission, which was updated in 2022, is "to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry."[2] In partial furtherance of this objective, the foundation runs a blog called Harriet.[3] Poets who have blogged at Harriet on behalf of The Poetry Foundation include Christian Bök, Stephanie Burt, Wanda Coleman, Kwame Dawes, Linh Dinh, Camille Dungy, Annie Finch, Forrest Gander, Rigoberto González, Cathy Park Hong, Bhanu Kapil, Ange Mlinko, Eileen Myles, Craig Santos Perez, A. E. Stallings, Edwin Torres, and Patricia Smith. In addition, the foundation provides several awards for poets and poetry. It also hosts free workshops, readings, exhibitions, and is home to a 30,000-volume poetry library.
The Poetry Foundation is a non-profit, charitable, 501(c)(3) organization.[4]
History
The foundation is the successor to the Modern Poetry Association (previous publisher of Poetry magazine), which was founded in 1941.[2] The magazine, itself, was established in 1912 by Harriet Monroe. Monroe was its first publisher and editor until her death in 1936. The Poetry Foundation is one of the largest literary foundations in the world.[2]
In 2003, Poetry magazine received a bequest from the estate of Ruth Lilly originally said to be worth over $100 million, but which grew to be about $200 million when it was given out.[5]
The magazine learned in 2001 that it would be receiving the bequest. Before announcing the gift, the magazine waited a year and reconfigured its governing board, which had been concerned with fundraising. The foundation was created, and Joseph Parisi, who had been editor of the magazine for two decades, volunteered to head the new organization. Christian Wiman succeeded to the editorship in 2003. Parisi resigned from the foundation after a few months.[5]
The new board used a recruiting agency to find John Barr, a former executive and published poet, to head the foundation.[5] Robert Polito, the poet and critic who founded and directed the graduate writing program at the New School, succeeded Barr in 2013 and served until 2015. In December, 2015, Henry S. Bienen, President Emeritus of Northwestern University was named president.[6][7] Bienen served as the president of the Poetry Foundation from December 2015 until his resignation on June 10, 2020, following criticism of the foundation's support for marginalized artists. In April 2021, the foundation named former Chicago commissioner for cultural affairs, Michelle T. Boone, as its new president.[8]
Poetry Foundation building
Part of the Lilly bequest was used to build the Poetry Foundation's building in Near North Side, Chicago. The building, designed by John Ronan, opened in 2011. It houses a poetry library, reading spaces, and free events, all open to the public, and provides office and editorial space for the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine staff.[9]
Programs
Grants
In 2022, the Poetry Foundation launched a grants program with an initial commitment of $9 million over three years to support nonprofit literary arts organizations in the United States.[10][11]
Events
The Poetry Foundation presents public literary programming at its Chicago headquarters, including readings and other live events.[12][13]
Library
The Poetry Foundation's Chicago headquarters includes a public poetry library and exhibition space.[14][15]
Poetry Out Loud competition
The Poetry Out Loud recitation competition was created in 2005 by the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.[16] It is a national recitation program for high school students designed to build public speaking skills and knowledge of poetry through memorization and performance.[17][18]
Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute
The Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute was launched in 2008 to convene poets, scholars, and others in the literary arts for discussions about poetry and related issues.[19]
Awards
The Poetry Foundation administers a number of awards and fellowships for poets and poetry-related work.[20]
Pegasus Awards
The Pegasus Awards are a series of awards associated with the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine. The winged horse Pegasus has long been used as a symbol on Poetry magazine covers and in related branding.[21] The awards are generally presented annually.[22]
The title of Young People's Poet Laureate (formerly the Children's Poet Laureate) consists of a two-year appointment to an author of children's poetry, along with a $25,000 annual stipend and additional programmatic funding in support of a project that promotes poetry to young people and their families, teachers, and librarians.[23]
The Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism is an annual award of $10,000 that seeks to honor an outstanding book-length work of criticism published in the U.S. in the prior calendar year.[24]
The Pegasus Award for Service in Poetry, established in 2023 and including a cash prize of $25,000, is bestowed in recognition of commitment and extraordinary work in poetry and the literary arts through administration, advocacy, education, publishing, or service.[25]
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is an annual award of $100,000 given for lifetime achievement in poetry to a living U.S. poet.[26]
- Recent recipients
| Year | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Rigoberto González |
| 2024 | Li-Young Lee |
| 2023 | Kimiko Hahn |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 | Patricia Smith |
Source: Poetry Foundation prize listing.[26] In 2022, the Poetry Foundation awarded multiple Ruth Lilly Poetry Prizes in honor of the 110th anniversary of Poetry magazine.[27]
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships
The Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships are awarded annually to five U.S. poets between the ages of 21 and 31; each fellowship carries a $27,000 prize.[28] The prize increased from $25,800 in 2022 to $27,000 per fellow in 2023.[29]
- Recent recipients
| Year | Fellows |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
|
| 2024 |
|
| 2023 |
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2021 |
|
Source: Poetry Foundation fellowship listing.[28]
Pegasus Poetry Book Prize
In November 2025, the Poetry Foundation and Graywolf Press announced the joint Pegasus Poetry Book Prize, with the first prize to be awarded in October 2026. The prize recognizes a United States poet aged 40 or older for an unpublished first or second poetry collection, and includes $10,000 and publication by Graywolf Press; it is offered periodically rather than annually and replaces the Poetry Foundation’s former Emily Dickinson First Book Award.[30][31]