Matthew Shenoda will judge the 23rd Annual A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize

Rochester, N.Y. — We are thrilled to announce that acclaimed poet Matthew Shenoda will judge the 23rd annual A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, which will open for submissions on August 1!

Matthew Shenoda is a writer, professor, and author and editor of several books. His poems and essays have appeared in a variety of newspapers, journals, radio programs and anthologies. His debut collection of poems, Somewhere Else (Coffee House Press), was named one of 2005’s debut books of the year by Poets & Writers Magazine and was winner of a 2006 American Book Award. He is also the author of Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone (BOA Editions Ltd.), editor of Duppy Conqueror: New & Selected Poems by Kwame Dawes, author of Tahrir Suite: Poems (Northwestern University Press), winner of the 2015 Arab American Book Award and with Kwame Dawes editor of Bearden’s Odyssey: Poets Respond to the Art of Romare Bearden (Northwestern University Press, 2017). His latest book is The Way of the Earth (Northwestern University Press, 2022).

Named in honor of the late founder of BOA Editions, the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize is an annual contest to identify, celebrate, and publish a first book by a poet of unique literary talent. The winner of the 23rd annual prize will receive a $1,000 honorarium and book publication by BOA Editions, Ltd., in spring 2025 as part of the A. Poulin, Jr. New Poets of America Series. Matthew Shenoda will select the winner (to be announced in spring 2024) and will write a foreword to introduce the prize-winning collection.

Any poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poetry is eligible to submit their first book manuscript for the Poulin Prize. BOA will accept submissions for the prize between August 1–November 30, 2023. Click here for complete contest guidelines and instructions on how to submit via post or Submittable.

Share This Event

Related Articles

Boa is proud to present our roundup of book reviews from the Spring 2026 season thus far. Check out the reviews below to see what people are saying about Boa’s..

Boa mourns the recent passing of James Long “Kip” Hale. A writer and longtime Boa supporter, Kip served as a founding member of Boa’s National Advisory Committee and served in..

Rochester, N.Y., May 12th, 2026— Boa is thrilled to announce that acclaimed poet Jennifer Chang will judge the 26th annual A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, which will open for submissions..

Authors · Featured

Derrick Austin

Derrick Austin is the author of This Elegance (Boa, 2026), Tenderness (Boa, 2021), winner of the 2020 Isabella Gardner Poetry Award and Golden Poppy…

Read More
Book Bundles · Featured

Boa Classic Book Bundle

With this one-time purchase you will receive a box of 5 best-selling titles from Boa with a few goodies from the publisher (broadsides, bookmarks,…

Read More
Book Subscriptions · Featured

Boa Book Lovers Subscription

Subscribe & save on all forthcoming Boa titles within the calendar year! At the start of each season (every 6 months), subscribers will receive…

Read More
Fiction · Featured

The Museum of Future Mistakes

Gruesome scenarios take a tender turn; beautiful moments become sources of derision. Winner of the BOA Short Fiction Prize, The Museum of Future Mistakes…

Read More
More Titles
New Release · Featured

Pagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000–2025

In these richly textured poems—crafted with taut clarity and consummate skill—Waters confronts the immutable presence of death by reveling in sensual pleasure and spiritual…

Read More
More Titles
Nonfiction · Featured

The Complete Writings of Art Smith, the Bird Boy of Fort Wayne, Edited by Michael Martone

The Complete Writings of Art Smith, the Bird Boy of Fort Wayne, Edited by Michael Martone is a Midwestern mythology that celebrates facts, fiction,…

Read More
More Titles
Poetry · Featured

Pagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000–2025

In these richly textured poems—crafted with taut clarity and consummate skill—Waters confronts the immutable presence of death by reveling in sensual pleasure and spiritual…

Read More
More Titles
Rare and Signed · Featured

GREEN OF ALL HEADS

Winner of the 2026 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Longlisted for the 2026 Griffin Poetry Prize   Written over the span of a decade, GREEN…

Read More
More Titles
Translations · Featured

Further Up the Path

Presented bilingually with a new English translation by Man Booker Prize-winning translator Jessica Cohen, these brief fables by Israeli author Daniel Oz engage with…

Read More
More Titles