The longlist for the National Book Award for poetry has been revealed, with 10 collections in contention for the annual literary prize.
Layli Long Soldier made the longlist for We; she was a finalist for the award in 2017 for Whereas. Fady Joudah, a previous finalist in 2024 for […], was longlisted this year for Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza. Two previously longlisted poets are nominated again this year: Victoria Chang for Tree of Knowledge and Brenda Hillman for Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation.
Also longlisted for this year’s prize are Carolina Ebeid for Hide, Richie Hofmann for The Bronze Arms, Jonah Mixon-Webster for Promise/Threat, Jake Rose for JOAN, Jake Skeets for Horses, and Susan Stewart for Bramble.
The judges for this year’s award are Rob Arnold, Aracelis Girmay, Jon Pineda, Roger Reeves, and Rosanna Warren.
Previous winners of the National Book Award for poetry include Philip Levine for Ashes: Poems New and Old and What Work Is; Lucille Clifton for Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems 1988–2000; Louise Glück for Faithful and Virtuous Night; and Patricia Smith for The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems.
The shortlist for the award will be revealed on Oct. 6, with the winner announced at a ceremony in New York on Nov. 18.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
