Poetry News

The National Book Foundation has officially unveiled its highly anticipated 2026 National Book Award for Poetry Longlist, signaling the arrival of autumn’s premier literary season. Widely considered one of the most prestigious honors in American literary world, this year’s selection captures a stunning cross-section of the contemporary poetic landscape.

When I was young, I was a passionate creative writer and sort of a poet. That's how I would release myself. Whenever I was struggling in school, or didn't want to go outside and deal with the nonsense of the neighborhood, I would write and write and write and write. I think it was my writing that sort of prepared me for so much of what I've had to do in my life as an adult.