Pitt English Professor Awarded Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize

PITTSBURGH—University of Pittsburgh English Professor Lynn Emanuel has been awarded the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets. The honor recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the United States in the previous calendar year and carries a $25,000 award.

The prize was awarded for Emanuel’s most recent book of poetry The Nerve of It: Poems New and Selected (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015). A collection of more than 60 new and selected poems, the book was described as “stunning and seamless” by renowned poet Martha Collins. The collection received acclaim in such publications as the New Orleans Review, Poetry International, and Publishers Weekly.

“This honor is a marvelous affirmation of one’s work. When I look at the company I’m in, I feel humbled,” said Emanuel of the prize’s past winners, who include renowned poets C. D. Wright, Donald Revell, and Adrienne Rich.

The Nerve of It is Emanuel’s fifth book of poetry. She also is the author of Noose and Hook (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010), Then, Suddenly— (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1999), The Dig (University of Illinois Press, 1992), and Hotel Fiesta (University of Georgia Press, 1984). Emanuel’s work has been featured in the Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Oxford Book of American Poetry, and the American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of New Poetry, among others.

At Pitt, Emanuel teaches poetry and is the director of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series, which she founded in 1999. She has also taught at the University of Cincinnati, Bennington Writers’ Conference, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and Warren Wilson Program in Creative Writing. Emanuel earned an MFA degree from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Additionally, she holds a master’s degree from the City College of New York and a bachelor’s degree from Bennington College.

Established in 1975, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize is named for the noted essayist, novelist, poet, and political activist.

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