Yale Library will launch a new literary award in 2025, the Patricia Cannon Willis Prize for American Poetry. This biennial prize will recognize a poet whose book, published in the previous two years, is deemed by the judging committee to represent the highest achievement in American poetry. The winner will receive a $25,000 prize.
Barbara Rockenbach, Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian, emphasized the significance of the prize. “The new Willis Prize reaffirms Yale Library’s profound commitment to the study, celebration, and creation of American poetry,” she said. “We demonstrate this commitment through our vast collections and expert curation, especially within the Beinecke Library.”
Named in honor of Patricia Cannon Willis, a prominent literary historian and scholar, the prize builds on the legacy of the Bollingen Prize for American Poetry. The Bollingen Prize, founded in 1948 with support from philanthropist Paul Mellon’s Bollingen Foundation, has been awarded annually to a senior poet for lifetime achievement in poetry.
The new Willis Prize will honor poets at any stage of their career, rewarding an exceptional book published within the prize period. Nancy Kuhl, curator of poetry at the Beinecke Library, will continue to oversee both prizes.
Evolving the Bollingen Prize
The Bollingen Prize has traditionally been awarded to a senior poet for a book published during the prize period, blending the roles of book prize and lifetime achievement award. Early recipients include Wallace Stevens and Marianne Moore, with recent honorees such as Joy Harjo (2023), Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge (2021), and Charles Bernstein (2019). The prize now officially includes the lifetime achievement aspect, while the Willis Prize focuses on a poet’s recent work.
“These changes reflect the prize’s original spirit, while adapting to the traditions of the award and the evolving practices of judges over 75 years,” said Michelle Light, director of the Beinecke Library.
In 2025, the Bollingen Prize will award $125,000, and the inaugural Willis Prize will be presented. The recipients will be announced in late January, and the committee members will be revealed after the awards.
A Focus on American Poetry
The Yale Collection of American Literature, housed at the Beinecke Library, holds an unparalleled collection of rare books, manuscripts, and papers from American poets. The library also hosts prominent poetry events, including the Mark Strand Memorial Reading series and the Yale Student Poets Reading.
About Patricia Willis
Patricia Willis, for whom the new prize is named, is known for her research on Marianne Moore and other female poets from the American Modernist movement. She was the curator of the Yale Collection of American Literature from 1987 until her retirement in 2008, and she directed the Bollingen Prize program before Nancy Kuhl.
“I’m delighted that this prize will honor Patricia Cannon Willis’s legacy,” said Kuhl. “Pat’s work in expanding the view of American literature and her dedication to the Yale Collection have supported countless poets and scholars. The Willis Prize will further the Beinecke Library’s role in shaping American poetry for future generations.”
