Philip Levine Prize
Winner, 2012 Philip Levine Prize in Poetry
Barbara Brinson Curiel
Title: Mexican Jenny and Other Poems
Barbara Brinson Curiel is a native of San Francisco, California. She has recently published poems in Kweli, Huizsache, and The Acentos Review, as well as in the chapbook anthology Mirage. Her poems are included in the 2011 collection Cantar de Espejos: Poesía Testimonial Chicana por Mujeres published in Mexico, and other anthologies including the forthcoming Anthology of Latino Poetry.
Barbara’s book Speak to Me From Dreams was published in 1989 (Third Woman Press), and she was a 2010-2012 fellow with CantoMundo, the national organization for Latino poets. Barbara teaches creative writing, Chicano/Latino and feminist studies, and American literature at Humboldt State University, and she has published scholarly essays on the narrative writings of Latina authors. Barbara is also a textile artist.
Barbara's manuscript was selected by final judge, Cornelius Eady. Eady selected three additional finalists:
Katherine Bode-Lang The Reformation
Chuck Carlise The Most Kissed Face in the World
Vandana Khanna Afternoon Masala
Prize History
The Philip Levine Prize in Poetry is an annual book contest proudly sponsored by the M.F.A. Program at California State University, Fresno. This contest, open to all poets (except current or former students or faculty of Fresno State), offers a $2000 prize, publication and distribution by Anhinga Press (a Florida-based press that has been publishing poetry for more than 25 years), and 25 free author copies of the winning book.
Through participation in our "Literary Editing and Publishing" course, MFA students are given an opportunity to serve as manuscript readers for the Prize, as well as to learn about other facets of contest administration, book publishing and promotions.
The contest is named for poet Philip Levine who was the final judge in 2001, 2002, 2005. Philip Levine taught at California State University, Fresno for many years and is one of the best known and most highly-honored American poets. He has published 16 books of poems, as well as several volumes of translations and two collections of essays. His list of honors includes two National Book Awards, two National Book Critics Circle Awards, the American Book Award, the Ruth Lily Poetry Prize for Distinguished Poetic Achievement, and the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Philip Levine has served as Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress in 2011-2012.
