India Tribune Newsdesk
Chicago: The Poetry Foundation, on September 10, announced the recipients of the 2025 Pegasus Awards, one of the most significant annual celebrations of literary achievement in the United States. Established in 2004, the Pegasus Awards honor poets, critics, and advocates whose work has enriched the art form and broadened its reach. This year’s honorees are Rigoberto González, recipient of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize; Amy Stolls, recipient of the Pegasus Award for Service in Poetry; and Kazim Ali, recipient of the Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism. The winners will be recognized at a ceremony in Chicago this October, with a free public reading scheduled at the Poetry Foundation on October 24.
Michelle T. Boone, president and CEO of the Poetry Foundation, praised the honorees: “It is the Poetry Foundation’s great honor to recognize the extraordinary talents of Rigoberto González, Amy Stolls, and Kazim Ali for dedicating their lives and careers to supporting poetry. I, along with the Poetry Foundation staff and board of trustees, commend them for inspiring hope and enriching our lives through their art, service, and scholarship.”
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for American poets, carries a $100,000 cash prize and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement. This year’s recipient, Rigoberto González, has authored 17 books across genres ranging from criticism and memoir to fiction and children’s literature. His poetry has been praised for its richness and clarity, with Poetry magazine editor Adrian Matejka describing it as “sumptuous and rich in its curiosities and carnalities.” González is also widely admired for his mentorship and editorial work, including his role as series editor for the Camino del Sol Latinx Literary Series. Born in Bakersfield, California, and raised in Michoacán, Mexico, he now serves as distinguished professor of English and creative writing at Rutgers University-Newark.
The Pegasus Award for Service in Poetry, which includes a $25,000 prize, honors individuals who have advanced poetry through advocacy, education, or publishing. In 2025, the award goes to Amy Stolls, who retired this year after 26 years of service at the National Endowment for the Arts. At the NEA, she played a pivotal role in shaping programs such as the NEA Creative Writing Fellowships, Poetry Out Loud, the Big Read, and the National Book Festival. Stolls, also the author of two novels, began her career as an environmental journalist and taught literature at American University before joining the NEA in 1998.
Kazim Ali, recipient of the Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism, is honored for his book Black Buffalo Woman: An Introduction to the Poetry and Poetics of Lucille Clifton. The $10,000 award celebrates his insightful study of Clifton’s profound contributions to American poetry. Ali is the author of six poetry collections and six works of prose and currently teaches literature and creative writing at the University of California, San Diego. This year’s finalist for the award was Eleni Stecopoulos for Dreaming in the Fault Zone: A Poetics of Healing.
Through the Pegasus Awards, the Poetry Foundation continues its mission to celebrate poets, promote scholarship, and support the transformative power of poetry.
