Kingsley Tufts $100,000 poetry award finalists announced

On Tuesday, Claremont Graduate University announced the finalists for its Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. The prize, which goes to a mid-career poet of a current book, carries with it an award of $100,000.

Two poets from Southern California are among the five finalists for the award: Amy Gerstler and Fred Moten.

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The finalists are:

Kyle Dargan for “Honest Engine” (University of Georgia Press)

Ross Gay for “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” (University of Pittsburgh Press)

Amy Gerstler for “Scattered at Sea” (Penguin)

Fred Moten for “The Little Edges” (Wesleyan)

Jennifer Moxley for “The Open Secret” (Flood Editions)

Previous winners of the Kingsley Tufts award include D.A. Powell, Chase Twichell, Afaa Michael Weaver, Marianne Boruch, Timothy Donnelly and Angie Estes.

Claremont Graduate University also announced the finalists for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, a $10,000 prize for an emerging poet. They are:

Meg Day for “Last Psalm at Sea Level” (Barrow Street)

Bethany Schultz Hurst for “Miss Lost Nation” (Anhinga Press)

Michael Morse for “Void and Compensation” (Canarium)

Danez Smith for “[insert] boy” (YesYes Books)

Henry Walters for “Field Guide a Tempo” (Hobblebush Books)

Kingsley Tufts held executive positions in Los Angeles shipyards and wrote poetry in his spare time. The award, in its 24th year, was established by his widow, Kate, in his honor. The award in her name was established in 1993.

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