African American Poetry & Poetics
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CAAPP Book Prize

The Center for African American Poetry and Poetics Book Prize


2021 Winner: Jacqui Jermaine, Bittering the Wound, selected by Douglas Kearney

Jacqui’s winning manuscript will be published by Autumn House Press in 2022.


Photo of Jaqui Germaine with "Congratulations" and winning information repeated.

Honorable Mention: Leon Baham, The Book of Imaginary Boys

 

Finalists, in alphabetical order:
Micky Bayonne, Goldfish Reunion
Layla Benitez-James, Lush Alphabet
Hazem Fahmy, Semaphore
Ahja Fox, What Holds You at Night
Sherese Francis, PollyNation: The Seminary of Self
Destiny Hemphill, The MOTHERWORLD Devotions
Dani Janae, Motherless Fruit
Nawal Nader, an improvised song is likely to come apart and scatter in infinite directions
Olatunde Osinaike, Tender Headed
Krystle Statler, Threnody on Repeat

 

 

 

2020 Winner: Carly Inghram, The Animal Indoors, selected by Terrance Hayes
 

Carly’s winning manuscript will be published by Autumn House Press in 2021.

Photo of Carly Inghram with text: "Congratulations" + winning information repeated. More text: "Carly is a poet from Atlanta. She received an MFA in poetry from Columbia University. Her work is featured in The Indianapolis Review and Prelude, and her first collection, Sometimes the Blue Trees, was released from V.A press in 2019. Her cat, LIZO's, full birth name is Lorde (like Audre), Imari Zyrtec Ocean (like Frank). And he has an attitude about it."

"In The Animal Indoors, interior and exterior worlds blend with lyricism like 'the sudden violence of dry earth rising up in rain.' These poems sing as they please of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Frank Ocean, and America’s 'edges flittering in the small light.' Melancholy and joy overlap, clap and slap. The Animal Indoors is full of capacious, capricious edges. This poet straddles worlds."
–Terrance Hayes


Honorable Mention: Mia Willis, mud kitchen

Finalists, in alphabetical order:
M. Saida Agostini, just let the dead in
Wale Ayinla, Sea Blues on Water Meridian
Layla Benitez-James, Casí se besan
Joshua Burton, Waltz
Jason B. Crawford, The Year of the Unicorn Kidz
Jive Poetic, Yesterlock
Lolita Stewart-White, black frag/ments