# James Laughlin Award

The James Laughlin Award, formerly the Lamont Poetry Prize, is given annually for a poet's second published book; it is the only major poetry award that honors a second book. The award is given by the Academy of American Poets, and is noted as one of the major prizes awarded to younger poets in the United States. It is currently named after James Laughlin, an American poet and editor who founded New Directions Publishing, the distributor of English-translated Siddhartha. In 1959, Harvey Shapiro referred to the award as "roughly, a Pulitzer for bardlings."

## Laughlin Award Winners (1996–present)

This partial listing is taken from the website of the Academy of American Poets.
| Year | Poet | Book | Judges |
| 2022 | Annelyse Gelman | Vexations | Solmaz Sharif, Aracelis Girmay |
| 2021 | James Cagney | Martian | Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Mark Bibbins, Ladan Osman |
| 2020 | Chet'la Sebree | Field Study | Rick Barot, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers |
| 2019 | Aditi Machado | Emporium | Gillian Conoley, Fady Joudah, Cole Swensen |
| 2018 | Geffrey Davis | Night Angler | Patricia Spears Jones, Craig Santos Perez, Prageeta Sharma |
| 2017 | sam sax | Bury It | Tyehimba Jess, Ruth Ellen Kocher, Jill McDonough |
| 2016 | Mary Hickman | Rayfish | Ellen Bass, Jericho Brown, Carmen Giménez Smith |
| 2015 | Kathryn Nuernberger | The End of Pink | Francisco X. Alarcón, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, D. Nurske |
| 2014 | Brian Blanchfield | A Several World | Lee Ann Brown, Tina Chang, C. S. Giscombe |
| 2013 | Jillian Weise | The Book of Goodbyes | Jeffrey McDaniel, Brenda Shaughnessy, Susan Wheeler |
| 2012 | Catherine Barnett | The Game of Boxes | April Bernard, Cyrus Cassells, Dana Levin (poet) |
| 2011 | Anna Moschovakis | You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake | Juliana Spahr, Brian Teare, Mónica de la Torre |
| 2010 | Michael Dickman | Flies | Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Major Jackson, Michael Ryan |
| 2009 | Jennifer K. Sweeney | How to Live on Bread and Music | Robin Becker, Bob Hicok, Afaa M. Weaver |
| 2008 | Rusty Morrison | the true keeps calm biding its story | Rae Armantrout, Claudia Rankine, Bruce Smith |
| 2007 | Brenda Shaughnessy | Human Dark with Sugar | Peter Gizzi, Matthea Harvey, Caroline Knox |
| 2006 | Tracy K. Smith | Duende | Elizabeth Alexander, Kimiko Hahn, Terrance Hayes |
| 2005 | Barbara Jane Reyes | Poeta en San Francisco | James Longenbach, Susan Stewart, Elizabeth Alexander |
| 2004 | Jeff Clark | Music and Suicide | Elizabeth Alexander, Mary Jo Bang, Susan Stewart |
| 2003 | Vijay Seshadri | The Long Meadow | Mary Jo Bang, Thom Gunn, Campbell McGrath |
| 2002 | Karen Volkman | Spar | Mary Jo Bang, Daniel Hall, Campbell McGrath |
| 2001 | Peter Johnson | Miracles & Mortifications | Daniel Hall, Campbell McGrath, Marilyn Nelson |
| 2000 | Liz Waldner | A Point Is That Which Has No Part | Agha Shahid Ali, Lynn Emanuel, Marilyn Nelson |
| 1999 | Tory Dent | HIV, Mon Amour | Lynn Emanuel, Yusef Komunyakaa, Marilyn Nelson |
| 1998 | Sandra Alcosser | Except by Nature | Lynn Emanuel, Yusef Komunyakaa, David St. John |
| 1997 | Tony Hoagland | Donkey Gospel | Yusef Komunyakaa, Heather McHugh, William Matthews |
| 1996 | David Rivard | Wise Poison | Heather McHugh, William Matthews, David St. John |

## Lamont Poetry Selections (1975–1995)

| Year | Poet | Book | Judges |
| 1995 | Ralph Angel | Neither World | Richard Kenney, Heather McHugh, David St. John |
| 1994 | Brigit Pegeen Kelly | Song | Jorie Graham, Richard Kenney, David St. John |
| 1993 | Rosanna Warren | Stained Glass | Amy Clampitt, Jorie Graham, Richard Kenney |
| 1992 | Kathryn Stripling Byer | Wildwood Flower | Lucille Clifton, Jorie Graham, Robert Morgan |
| 1991 | Susan Wood | Campo Santo | Marvin Bell, Lucille Clifton, Robert Morgan |
| 1990 | Li-Young Lee | The City in Which I Love You | Marvin Bell, Sandra McPherson, Robert Morgan |
| 1989 | Minnie Bruce Pratt | Crime Against Nature | Marvin Bell, Alfred Corn, Sandra McPherson |
| 1988 | Mary Jo Salter | Unfinished Painting | Alfred Corn, Sandra McPherson, Mary Oliver |
| 1987 | Garrett Hongo | The River of Heaven | Philip Booth, Alfred Corn, Mary Oliver |
| 1986 | Jane Shore | The Minute Hand | Philip Booth, Louise Glück, Mary Oliver |
| 1985 | Cornelius Eady | Victims of the Latest Dance Craze | Philip Booth, Louise Glück, Charles Simic |
| 1984 | Philip Schultz | Deep Within the Ravine | Louise Glück, Charles Simic, David Wagoner |
| 1983 | Sharon Olds | The Dead and the Living | June Jordan, Charles Simic, David Wagoner |
| 1982 | Margaret Gibson | Long Walks in the Afternoon | June Jordan, Richard Shelton, David Wagoner |
| 1981 | Carolyn Forché | The Country Between Us | William Harmon, June Jordan, Richard Shelton |
| 1980 | Michael Van Walleghen | More Trouble with the Obvious | William Harmon, Maxine Kumin, Richard Shelton |
| 1979 | Frederick Seidel | Sunrise | William Harmon, Maxine Kumin |
| 1978 | Ai | Killing Floor | Maxine Kumin, Philip Levine, Charles Wright |
| 1977 | Gerald Stern | Lucky Life | Alan Dugan, Philip Levine, Charles Wright |
| 1976 | Larry Levis | The Afterlife | Alan Dugan, Michael Harper, Philip Levine |
| 1975 | Lisel Mueller | The Private Life | Alan Dugan, John Haines, Michael Harper |

## Lamont Poetry Selections (1954–1974)

For the first 20 years, a poet's first published volume was the annual Lamont Poetry Selection.
| 1974 John Balaban 1973 Marilyn Hacker 1972 Peter Everwine 1971 Stephen Dobyns 1970 William Harmon 1969 Marvin Bell 1968 Jane Cooper 1967 James Scully 1966 Kenneth O. Hanson 1965 Henri Coulette | 1964 Adrien Stoutenburg 1963 No award 1962 Edward Field 1961 X. J. Kennedy 1960 Robert Mezey 1959 Donald Justice 1958 Ned O'Gorman 1957 Daniel Berrigan, S. J. 1956 Philip Booth 1955 Donald Hall 1954 Constance Carrier |