New national book prize for Spanish-language poetry

THE NATIONAL POETRY SERIES

and

THE CENTER @ MIAMI DADE COLLEGE

announce

 The Paz Prize for Poetry

The National Poetry Series and The Center @ Miami Dade College are pleased to announce the establishment of The Paz Prize for Poetry. This annual award—named in the spirit of the late Nobel Prize-winning poet, Octavio Paz—will honor a previously unpublished book of poetry written originally in Spanish by an American resident. An open competition will be held each May, when an esteemed Spanish-speaking poet will select a winning manuscript. The book will be published in a bilingual edition by Akashic Press. The first winner will be published in October, 2013. The winning poet will also receive a $500 cash prize.

“I believe this is going to be an incredibly important prize,” said Daniel Halpern, Director of The National Poetry Series, “Our goal is to actively search for manuscripts by poets in America writing original poetry in Spanish—younger poets and older, alike. And it’s an honor to be working with Alina Interian and her remarkable Center at Miami Dade College.”

Ms. Interian adds “We are very pleased to partner with the National Poetry Series to sponsor The Paz Prize for Poetry. In our increasingly diverse nation, poetry in translation is not just desired, but necessary. . . it allows for shared experience across cultures and greater understanding, and for even more beauty in our world.”

Esteemed Puerto Rican American poet, Victor Hernández Cruz will serve as the first judge of The Paz Prize for Poetry. Joining Mr. Cruz and Ms. Interian on the Advisory Board for the prize are Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Cristina García, Mitchell Kaplan, Campbell McGrath, Pablo Medina, Eduardo J. Padrón, Gary Soto, Ilan Stavans, and Luisa Valenzuela.

The 2012 submission period for The Paz Prize for Poetry will be May 1–June 15. Complete guidelines are available on

www.nationalpoetryseries.org

and

www.flcenterlitarts.com

PRESS RELEASE:

http://www.posterband.com/paz_prize.pdf