A Brief History of the Walter Glospie Academy of American Poets Prize

 Beginning in spring 2005 the English Department of New Jersey City University began sponsoring the Walter Glospie Academy of American Poets Prize that is awarded to undergraduates in colleges and universities. Our university submitted an Endowment Pledge Form and check for $2,500 to guarantee permanent membership in the awards program. Dr. Walter Glospie (1952-2002), an alumnus of NJCU and Associate Professor in the English Department, was deeply committed to our University community.

 The Academy states that the prize began in 1955 “as part of its mission to support poets at all stages of their careers.” It was established “at ten schools to recognize and encourage the talent of emerging poets. Among the first to receive an award was Sylvia Plath while she was a senior at Smith College.” Some other reputable poets who have been winners are Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright. As of fall 2008, The Academy sponsors over 200 annual prizes for poetry at colleges and universities.

 Listed below are the judges for the prize and students whose poems were selected.

  2005 Judge: Peter Murphy; No poems were selected.

  2006 Judge: Mary Loving Blanchard; Co-winners: Shakira C. Syed, “poetry evolved so that it could be said” and Elizabeth Bowman, “Today”; Honorable Mention: Melron Jackson, “Skin,” and Andre Bermudez, “Lunes”

  2007 Judge: Michael Rotenberg-Schwartz; Winner: Josue Rodriguez, “At the coax of dream breath’s dysrhythmia”

  2008 Judge: Mark Tursi; Co-winners: Angel Eduardo, “Memoracle,” and Amanda Rice, “Beauty”; Honorable Mention: Earl M. Davis Jr., “High Time with God’s First Favorite”