Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
Established in 1981, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is administered by the
University of Pittsburgh Press. Named in honor of Agnes Lynch Starrett, the Press’s
first director, the prize is awarded for a first full-length book of poems.
The prize carries a cash award of $5,000 and publication by the University of
Pittsburgh Press as part of the Pitt Poetry Series.
Winner of the 2021 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
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Brown Girl Chromatography
Brown Girl Chromatography is pure fire, a slow burn to the center of desire. This is a book of longing, of brokenness, of makeup (‘my second art, the perfect counterpart to my alter ego’), of wanting what you’re not supposed to want and then constructing a world from it: ‘This is my kingdom. / this is something I can control.’ This is the most inventive book I’ve read in ages.