D.A. Powell Receives 2015 Shelley Memorial Award

April 22, 2015

D.A. Powell The Poetry Society of America has announced that D.A. Powell, author of five poetry collections, including Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys, has received the 2015 Shelley Memorial Award. The prize is presented annually to a living American poet and includes a cash award of between $6,000 and $9,000.

Three judges made the selection, including Henri Cole, appointed by the President of Radcliffe, Ronaldo V. Wilson, appointed by the president of the University of California, and Carolyn Forché, appointed by the Poetry Society of America.

In a statement about Powell’s work, Henri Cole wrote, “Even while writing about the California landscape of his childhood, Powell wrestles with eternal themes of love and the dissolution of the body. He is a boldly original, unforgettable poet.”

Past winners of the award have included Bernadette Mayer, Lucia Perillo, Martin Espada, and Wanda Coleman.


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