Neha Patil (Editor)

Best New Poets

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The Best New Poets series consists of annual poetry anthologies, each containing fifty poems from poets without a previously published collection. The first edition of the series appeared in 2005, and was published, as all later editions have been, by Samovar Press. In 2006, the University of Virginia Press began distributing the anthology.

Contents

Selection and Editors

Poems are nominated for the series by creative writing programs and literary magazines, though poets can also self-nominate through an online submission system. The poems to be included in the anthology are selected by a guest editor. Previous guest editors include George Garrett (2005), Eric Pankey (2006), Natasha Trethewey (2007), Mark Strand (2008), Kim Addonizio (2009), Claudia Emerson (2010), D. A. Powell (2011), Matthew Dickman (2012), Brenda Shaughnessy (2013), and Dorianne Laux (2014). The 2015 edition will be guest edited by Tracy K. Smith.

Selected Poets

The series, begun by essayist and University of Virginia lecturer Jeb Livingood in 2005 and edited by poet Jazzy Danziger since 2011, has published a number of notable writers since its inception, including Diana Vlavianos, Deborah Ager, Craig Blais, Christina Duhig, Cynthia Lowen, Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet, Jennifer Militello, Kerri French, Seth Abramson, Stephanie Rogers, Rhett Iseman Trull, Anna Journey (2008 National Poetry Series winner), Zach Savich (2008 Iowa Poetry Prize winner), Michael McGriff (2007 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize winner), Julie Larios (2006 Pushcart Prize winner), recent Stegner Fellows Keith Ekiss, Robin Ekiss, Martha Greenwald, Dina Hardy, Peter Kline, and Kimberly Grey, as well as Tarfia Faizullah, Ocean Vuong, sam sax, Leila Chatti, Phillip B. Williams, and Peter LaBerge. To date, the youngest poet to be included in the series is Talin Tahajian, who was first included in the 2014 edition at the age of eighteen.

Books

  • George P. Garrett, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2005). Best New Poets, 2005. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-0-3.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Eric Pankey, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2006). Best New Poets, 2006. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-1-0.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Natasha Trethewey, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2007). Best New Poets, 2007. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-2-7.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Mark Strand, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2008). Best New Poets, 2008: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-3-4.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Kim Addonizio, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2009). Best New Poets, 2009: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-4-1.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Claudia Emerson, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2010). Best New Poets, 2010: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-5-8.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • D.A. Powell, Jazzy Danziger, Jeb Livingood, eds. (2011). Best New Poets, 2011: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-6-5.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Matthew Dickman, Jazzy Danziger, eds. (2012). Best New Poets, 2012: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-7-2.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Brenda Shaughnessy, Jazzy Danziger, eds. (2013). Best New Poets, 2013: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-8-9.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
  • Dorianne Laux, Jazzy Danziger, eds. (2014). Best New Poets, 2014: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers. Samovar Press. ISBN 978-0-9766296-9-6.  CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)

    • Critical response

    Of the 2013 edition, Publishers Weekly wrote:

    The work, much of it nominated by university writing programs and literary journals, is diverse in voice and subject matter, providing an effective barometer of contemporary American poetry...The poems seem to owe as much to 20th-century traditions as to the spirit of invention, and, as such, are a reminder that contemporary poetry is not only alive and well but continuing to evolve.

    According to The Virginia Quarterly Review:

    The youthfulness of the anthology, combined with the wide scope of its contents, is apparent in the poems, which are edgy and daring. Emerging, whether intentionally or not, as a younger sibling to the Best American Poetry anthologies, this series breaks new ground and provides fresh treasures.

    Poet and critic David Wojahn has said of the series,

    It's a nervy thing for an anthology to label itself Best New Poets, but...this collection lives up to its name. It's a rich and readable selection, reflecting no party-line aesthetic, and attesting to the formidable promise of the emerging generation."

    Of the 2006 edition, ForeWord Magazine wrote,

    With an alert ear for new voices, this anthology offers a different kind of validation: that of being well-heard. The result is a vibrant smorgasbord..."

    References

    Best New Poets Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA