UO alumni win National Poetry Series competition

Two University of Oregon alumni were selected as winners of the National Poetry Foundation’s 2013 National Poetry Series open competition.

Sara Eliza Johnson and Jeffrey Schultz graduated from the UO Creative Writing Master's of Fine Arts Program and are among the five winners who will be published and receive a $1,000 cash award.

"Bone Map," a manuscript from Johnson, a 2009 UO graduate, was selected by Martha Collins for publication by Milkweed Editors. Her poetry has appeared in various places including New England Review, Verse Daily and Iron Horse Literary Review. She received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Schultz graduated from UO in 2003, and his manuscript, “What Ridiculous Things We Could Ask of Each Other,” was selected by Kevin Young for publication by the University of Georgia Press. A 2009 recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the National Poetry Foundation, he currently teaches at Pepperdine University and resides in Los Angeles.

The National Poetry Series was established in 1978 to ensure the publication of five poetry books each year. Winning manuscripts are selected through an annual open competition judged by five established poets.

- by Katherine Cook, UO Office of Strategic Communications intern