Two University Women Named Finalists for a Prestigious Poetry Award

Claremont Graduate University in California has announced three finalists for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. The award honors a book of poetry by an author who is “past the very beginning but has not reached the pinnacle or his or her career.” The award comes with a $100,000 cash prize. The winner will be announced in March and will be celebrated at ceremony at the university in April. Two of the three finalists for the award are university women.

Marianne Boruch is a professor of creative writing and poetry at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She is being honored for her collection, The Book of Hours (Copper Canyon Press). The book is her seventh published poetry collection.

Professor Boruch has taught at Purdue since 1987. She holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Massachusetts.

Paisley Rekdal is an associate professor of English at the University of Utah. She was nominated for the award for the book, Animal Eye (University of Pittsburgh Press). She has published three previous poetry collections.

A native of Seattle, Professor Rekdel is a graduate of the University of Washington. She earned a master’s degree in medieval studies from the University of Toronto and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Michigan.

Update: Marianne Boruch was announced as the winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award on March 4.