Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

The Pulitzer Prize for poetry was established in 1922. The prize honors an American poet for a volume of original poetry. This prize was not one of the original categories listed in Joseph Pulitzer's will when the prizes were established in 1917, but Pulitzer inserted a clause in his will allowing for adjustments to be made to the prizes as the Pulitzer Prize Board, the group that oversees the awards, saw fit. The Board used that allowance to create the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1922.

Several famous American poets have won the Pulitzer Prize over the years. Edwin Arlington Robinson, author of "The Man Who Died Twice" and "Tristram," was the first recipient of the prize in 1922; he went on to win again in 1925 and 1928. Stephen Vincent Benet, known for the "John Brown's Body", won in 1929 and 1944. Robert Frost, known most famously for "The Road Less Travelled," won the award four times, in 1924, 1931, 1937 and 1943.

If you're wondering if your poetry competes with these pieces at all, you may want to read some of the volumes that have recently won the Pulitzer Prize. Consider reading "Delights and Shadows" by Ted Kooser. Kooser illuminates complex emotions and managed to comment on today's society in an insightful manner.

If Kooser doesn't inspire you, take the time to read Natasha Trethewey's "Native Guard," a collection of poems about the lasting impact African American soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Trethewey's poems are simultaneously haunting and compelling.

Perhaps you're looking for poetry with a political bent to it? If so, consider reading Carolyn Kizer's collection titled "Yin." Perhaps the most talked-about poem in this collection is the poem "Fanny," about a woman who nurses her husband while he is in poor health at the end of his life. The poems in "Yin" are pro-feminist in theme, examining the relationships women have with society, family members and the men in their lives.