Claremont Graduate University Announces 2026 Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Award Winners

Two award-winning poets. One evening of recognition and reading.

CLAREMONT, CA, UNITED STATES, April 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Award, two of the most prestigious honors in contemporary poetry. This year’s winning collections reflect the depth, urgency, and enduring power of poetry to illuminate the human experience.

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award has been awarded to Jennifer Chang for An Authentic Life (Copper Canyon Press). Chang is an accomplished poet whose work continues to shape and expand the landscape of contemporary poetry with wisdom and exquisite control. Reflecting on her creative process, Chang shares: “Writing is a process of discovery, a gathering of knowledges, perspectives, and emotions that brings all of us closer to insight… One of the things we discover is the intimacies of a poem—linguistic, rhetorical, historical, and these are as much critical as they are imaginative discoveries that can itself feel like an intimate experience between readers.”

The Kate Tufts Discovery Award has been awarded to Eduardo Martinez-Leyva for Cowboy Park (University of Wisconsin Press), a debut collection recognized for its lyric strength and emotional bravery. Martinez-Leyva describes the intention behind his work: “My hope is that through my lived experiences, readers can find common ground or, if not, expand their understanding of what it feels like to survive and be resilient in a world that often pressures us to do the opposite.”

Each year, the Tufts Poetry Awards honor poets whose work not only demonstrates literary excellence but also engages deeply with the complexities of our time. Together, these awards recognize both emerging and established voices whose writing invites reflection, connection, and new ways of seeing. “CGU is honored to be the steward of Kate Tufts’s remarkable gift,” says Lori Anne Ferrell, director of the awards and dean of the School of Arts & Humanities, “Kate’s intention to recognize both debuts of ‘true promise’ and ‘excellence at mid-career’ has ensured the future of poetry in America.”

Public Ceremony & Reading
The winners will be honored at a public ceremony and reading on:
April 15, 2026
Lyman Hall, Pomona College Campus
6:00 - 8:00 pm

The evening will include readings from both award recipients, followed by a reception open to attendees. Members of the public, literary community, and media are invited to attend and celebrate this year’s honorees.

About the Poetry Awards
Established at Claremont Graduate University, the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award is among the world’s most generous poetry prizes, recognizing a mid-career poet for a collection that reflects exceptional literary achievement. The Kate Tufts Discovery Award honors a first book of poetry that signals a powerful new voice in the field.

Together, the awards underscore CGU’s commitment to advancing the arts, fostering intellectual inquiry, and supporting writers whose work resonates far beyond the page.

Media Contact
Lori Anne Ferrell
Dean, School of Arts and Humanities
Claremont Graduate University
lori.ferrell@cgu.edu
909.607.2652

Starr Hall
Claremont Graduate University
+1 805-450-4911
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