Designed to honor the legacy of one of the most original and accomplished poets to debut in recent years—and to reward outstanding poets for years to come—the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize awards $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions to the author of a debut collection of poems.
Listen to a playlist of Max Ritvo Poetry Prize audiobook samples here.
Winter Stranger by Jackson Holbert
Winner of the 2022 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Jackson Holbert’s Winter Stranger is a solemn record of addiction and the divided affections we hold for the landscapes that shape us.
Human Resources by Ryann Stevenson
Winner of the 2021 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Ryann Stevenson’s Human Resources is a sobering and perceptive portrait of technology’s impact on connection and power.
Worldly Things by Michael Kleber-Diggs
Winner of the 2020 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Michael Kleber-Diggs’s Worldly Things offers needed guidance on ways forward—toward radical kindness and a socially responsible poetics.
The Clearing by Allison Adair
Winner of the 2019 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Allison Adair’s The Clearing navigates the ever-shifting poles of violence and vulnerability with rich imagination and a singular incisiveness.
The Milk Hours by John James
Winner of the 2018 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
John James’s The Milk Hours is an elegant debut that searches widely to ask what it means to exist in a state of loss.
North American Stadiums by Grady Chambers
Winner of the 2018 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Grady Chambers’s North American Stadiums is an assured debut collection about grace—the places we search for it, and the disjunction between what we seek and where we arrive.