The Glascock Poetry Prize is awarded to the winner of the annual Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest at Mount Holyoke College. The "invitation-only competition is sponsored by the English department at Mount Holyoke and counts many well-known poets, including Sylvia Plath and James Merrill, among its past winners" and is thought to be the "oldest intercollegiate poetry competition."
The contest Each year, about six young poets from the nation's top colleges and universities are selected to participate. After being selected, participants submit a brief manuscript of poems, which they read at a public reading during the culmination of the contest.
History The annual Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest is named after Kathryn Irene Glascock. Glascock was a young poet who graduated from Mount Holyoke in 1922.
Glascock died in 1923. Shortly after her death, Glascock's parents established the Glascock Prize. It became an intercollegiate event in 1924.
The Glascock Poetry Competition has launched the careers of many of America's most important poets including James Merrill who won in 1946 (and participated in 1938), Sylvia Plath who won in 1955, Kenneth Koch in 1948, Donald Hall who took second place in 1951 and Gjertrud Schnackenberg in 1973.
Other notable participants include Mark Halperin, Mary Jo Salter, Katha Pollitt, Mary Ann Radner, William Kunstler, James Agee and Frederick Buechner.
List of winners and participants
Select judges
George Abraham (poet) Samuel Ace Virginia Hamilton Adair Léonie Adams Kaveh Akbar Elizabeth Alexander A. R. Ammons Diannely Antigua Mary-Kim Arnold John Ashbery W. H. Auden Cameron Awkward-Rich Leonard Bacon Robert Bagg Mary Jo Bang Ari Banias C.L. Barber Phyllis Bartlett William Rose Benet April Bernard Mei-mei Berssenbrugge Martha Dickinson Bianchi Frank Bidart Elizabeth Bishop W.W. Bison Louise Bogan Marie Borroff Annie Boutelle Gerald Warner Brace Mrs. Marshall Bragdon Anna Hempstead Branch John Malcolm Brinnin Howard Buck Stephanie Burt Witter Bynner Henry Seidel Canby Helen Chasin Marilyn Chin Franny Choi John Ciardi Amy Clampitt Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn Billy Collins Grace Conkling Jane Cooper Alfred Corn Sidney E. Cox Douglas Crase Robert Gorham Davis Fannie Stearns Davis Erica Dawson Sara de Ford Oliver de la Paz Thomas Del Vecchio Babette Deutsch Mark Doty Alan Dugan Richard Eberhart Martín Espada Rhina Espaillat David Ferry Arthur Davison Ficke Rosamund Field Donald Finkel Dudley Fitts Robert Fitzgerald Wallace Fowlie Robert Francis Kimon Friar Robert Frost Elizabeth Hollister Frost Kay Gabriel Sarah Gambito George Garrett Dana Gioia Rolland Greenwood Eamon Grennan Susan Griffin Emily Grosholz Marilyn Hacker Pamela White Hadas Rachel Hadas Donald Hall William Haller Michael S. Harper Jeffrey Harrison Matthea Harvey Seamus Heaney Anthony Hecht Daniel Hoffman John Hollander Margaret Holley John Holmes Anna Maria Hong Richard Howard Barbara Howes Andrew Hudgins Rolfe Humphries Erica Hunt Josephine Jacobsen Donald Justice Kirun Kapur Donika Kelly X. J. Kennedy Myung Mi Kim Galway Kinnell Karl Kirchwey Carolyn Kizer Kenneth Koch Stanley Koehler John Koethe Maxine Kumin Stanley Kunitz Joseph Langland Joseph O. Legaspi David Lehman Denise Levertov Sarah Lindsay Audre Lorde John Livingston Lowes Jay Macpherson Dora Malech Dawn Lundy Martin Cleopatra Mathis Glyn Maxwell Nathan McClain J. D. McClatchy Joshua Mehigan William Morris Meredith Jr. James Merrill Edwin Valentine Mitchell Marianne Moore Stearns Morse David Morton Fred Moten Edwin Muir Paul Muldoon Eileen Myles Marilyn Nelson Howard Nemerov Hoa Nguyen Diana O'Hehir Miller Wolf Oberman Ed Ochester Alicia Ostriker Curtis Hidden Page Linda Pastan Molly Peacock John Peck Joyce Peseroff Kiki Petrosino Carl Phillips Robert Pinsky Sylvia Plath Katha Pollitt Wyatt Printy John Crowe Ransom Jessie Rehder Alastair Reid Margaret Rhee Adrienne Rich Jessie Rittenhouse Florence Dunbar Robertson Stephen Romer Mary Jo Salter Tony Sanders May Sarton Gjertrud Schnackenberg Grace Schulman James Scully Winnifred Wlles Shearer Evie Shockley Jane Shore Charles Simic L. E. Sissman Hallet D. Smith Susan Snively W. D. Snodgrass Charles Wilbert Snow Barry Spacks Stephen Spender Elizabeth Spires Kathleen Spivack Jane Springer George Starbuck Leonard, Stevens Mark Strand Roberta Teale Swartz John L. Sweeney Larissa Szporluk Genevieve Taggard Jennif(f)er Tamayo Ridgely Torrence John Updike Jean Valentine Lyrae van Clief-Stefanon Mona Van Duyn Peter Viereck Ellen Bryant Voigt Diane Wakoski Derek Walcott Andrews Wanning Rosanna Warren Deborah Warren Theodore Weiss Rachel Wetzsteon George F. Whicher Ruth Whitman Richard Wilbur Nancy Willard William Carlos Williams Greg Williamson Ronaldo V. Wilson Terri Witek Baron Wormser James Wright John Yau Cynthia Zarin
Preludes In 1973, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the contest, the English department of Mount Holyoke College published a collection of poems titled Preludes: Selected Poems from the Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest 1924-1973.
The collection included selected works from the first 50 years of the competition such as "The Black Swan" by James Merrill.
References
External links Glascock Poetry Contest Kathryn Irene Glascock Poetry Prize Records 75th Anniversary Celebration List of participants and judges 1923-2018