September 10, 2025, 11:00am

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry. Then ten titles were selected from a pool of 285 books submitted for consideration by their publishers. This year’s judges for Poetry are Kate Daniels, Terrance Hayes (Chair), H. Melt, Anis Mojgani, and Caridad Moro-Gronlier.

The finalists in all categories will be announced on Tuesday, October 7, and the winners revealed at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony on November 19.

In the meantime, here’s the longlist:

Gbenga Adesina, Death Does Not End at the Sea
University of Nebraska Press

Gabrielle Calvocoressi, The New Economy
Copper Canyon Press

Cathy Linh Che, Becoming Ghost
Washington Square Press / Simon & Schuster

Tiana Clark, Scorched Earth
Washington Square Press / Simon & Schuster

Rickey Laurentiis, Death of the First Idea
Knopf / Penguin Random House

Esther Lin, Cold Thief Place
Alice James Books

Natalie Shapero, Stay Dead
Copper Canyon Press

Richard Siken, I Do Know Some Things
Copper Canyon Press

Patricia Smith, The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems
Scribner / Simon & Schuster

Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, TERROR COUNTER
Deep Vellum / Deep Vellum Publishing