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Home / Books / Series

Wisconsin Poetry Series

Sean Bishop and Jesse Lee Kercheval, Series Editors

This series includes:
The Brittingham Prize in Poetry
The Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry
The Four Lakes Prize in Poetry
The Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation

Currently, the University of Wisconsin Press seeks to publish a minimum of seven poetry titles each year as part of the Wisconsin Poetry Series. Works are chosen for publication following an open reading period (submissions are accepted between July 15 and September 15) for the poetry prizes awarded by the Press.

The Brittingham and Felix Pollak Prizes in Poetry, along with the Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation, are awarded annually. They are selected by a guest judge following an initial screening process conducted by coeditors Sean Bishop and Jesse Lee Kercheval in conjunction with the Creative Writing Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The winner of each prize receives $1,000 and the publication of their work by the University of Wisconsin Press.

The Brittingham Prize in Poetry was founded in 1985 with the help of grants from the Brittingham Trust. Administered by the UW Foundation, the trust was established in 1924 by the wills of lumber baron Thomas Evans Brittingham Sr. and his wife, activist Mary Clark Brittingham, to benefit the University.

The Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry was founded in 1994 with the help of a bequest from Sara Pollak. The prize honors her husband, Felix, a major Wisconsin poet and former curator of the Rare Book Room and Little Magazine Collection in the UW–Madison Libraries.

The Four Lakes Prize in Poetry may be awarded annually to a collection of poetry submitted by a previous winner of either the Brittingham or Felix Pollak prizes. Recipients are selected by the coeditors of the Wisconsin Poetry Series with input from screeners and faculty in the Creative Writing Program at UW–Madison.

The Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation was founded in 2022 to cater to the readers, poets, and editors who want to read poetry written across the world. It aims to be one small part of breaking down the language barriers that divide us and help make work written in other languages visible to a wider public.

Priority for publication apart from the prizes is given to titles selected as honorable mention by that year’s judge or otherwise deemed to be exceptional by the series coeditors and screening committee.

For poetry submission guidelines, click here.

 

 

Recent and Backlist

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(At) Wrist
Tacey M. Atsitty
Fall 2023

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The Roof of the Whale Poems
Juan Calzadilla
Translated by Katherine M. Hedeen and Olivia Lott

Fall 2023

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Afterlife
Michael Dhyne
Fall 2023

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Psalms
Julia Fiedorczuk
Translated by Bill Johnston

Fall 2023

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Radium Girl
Celeste Lipkes
Spring 2023

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Grace Engine
Joshua Burton
Spring 2023

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Midwhistle
Dante Di Stefano
Spring 2023

As If a Song Could Save You: a navy blue cover with gold and red ornamentation. The title text is written in white font upon a red curved strip that flows across the middle of the page.
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As If a Song Could Save You
Betsy Sholl
Fall 2022

American Sex Tape: cover depicting a painting of a cartoon black woman with multiple irises within her eyes, and a third eye inbetween her eye brows. Her wavy-fingered hand is reaching toward the viewer. The title text is contained within a black box at the bottom of the page, the text cut out to reveal the image behind it.
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American Sex Tape™
Jameka Williams
Fall 2022

Shopping, or The End of Time: a metallic pink cover behind bold, hot pink title text.
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Shopping, or The End of Time
Emily Bludworth de Barrios
Fall 2022

The Sound Boat: cover depicting a dark blue and white piece of abstract art contained within a white border.
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The Sound Boat
Judith Vollmer
Spring 2022

Girl's Guide to Leaving: cover depicting a painting of a woman with five fully black eyes and four arms, holding the the sun in one hand, a spoon in another, and a paintbrush in another. She stands before some trees in a dark forest. Many other detils give this piece an eclectic and haunted feeling.
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Girl's Guide to Leaving
Laura Villareal
Spring 2022

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Thunderhead
Emily Rose Cole
Spring 2022

American Parables: Cover showing a cream background with the title text written in thick, multicolored font. The author text is written in curly font in the bottom right corner.
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American Parables
Daniel Khalastchi
Fall 2021

Come Clean: Cover consisting of a photograph of Joshua Nguyen emerging from water, bubbles escaping his mouth as his head breaks the surface. The title is sea foam green and covers his body.
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Come Clean
Joshua Nguyen
Fall 2021

Blood Aria
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Blood Aria
Christopher Nelson
Spring 2021

Conditions of the Wounded
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Conditions of the Wounded
Anna Leigh Knowles
Spring 2021

Alien Miss
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Alien Miss
Carlina Duan
Spring 2021

Perigee
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Perigee
Diane Kerr
Fall 2020

Fractures
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Fractures
Carlos Andrés Gómez
Fall 2020

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Fruit
Bruce Snider
Spring 2020

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Queen in Blue
Ambalila Hemsell
Spring 2020

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No Day at the Beach
John Brehm
Spring 2020

Cover showing brick house through sheer curtains
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If the House
Molly Spencer
Fall 2019


Cover showing person in a forest
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Ganbatte
Sarah Kortemeier
Fall 2019


Cover showing person in a forest
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Dear Terror, Dear Splendor
Melissa Crowe
Spring 2019


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House of Sparrows
New and Selected Poems
Betsy Sholl
Spring 2019


Book cover showing thumb smearing lipstick over mouth
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Gloss
Rebecca Hazelton
Spring 2019


Book cover showing blue abstract watercolor design
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Why Can't It Be Tenderness
Michelle Brittan Rosado
Fall 2018


Book coverbook cover showing portrait of person with a face partially covered by leaves or butterfly wings
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How the End First Showed
D.M. Aderibigbe
Fall 2018


The Golden Coin
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The Golden Coin
Alan Feldman
Spring 2018


The Explosive Expert's Wife
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The Explosive Expert's Wife
Shara Lessley
Spring 2018


Immortality
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Season of the Second Thought
Lynn Powell
Fall 2017


Immortality
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The Word We Used For It
Max Garland
Fall 2017


Immortality
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Partially Excited States
Charles Hood
Spring 2017


Immortality
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You, Beast
Nick Lantz
Spring 2017


Immortality
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The Apollonia Poems
Judith Vollmer
Spring 2017


Immortality
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The Blue Hour
Jennifer Whitaker
Spring 2016


Immortality
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The Book of Hulga
Rita Mae Reese
Spring 2016


Immortality
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Almost Nothing To Be Scared Of
David Clewell
Spring 2016


Immortality
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Immortality
Alan Feldman
Spring 2015


Blood Work
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Blood Work
Matthew Siegel
Spring 2015


Hive
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Hive
Christina Stoddard
Spring 2015


My Favorite Tyrants
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My Favorite Tyrants
Joanne Diaz
Spring 2014


Otherwise Unseeable
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Otherwise Unseeable
Betsy Sholl
Spring 2014


The Sleeve Waves
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The Sleeve Waves
Angela Sorby
Spring 2014


About Crows
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About Crows
Craig Blais
Spring 2013


The Declarable Future
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The Declarable Future
Jennifer Boyden
Spring 2013


Centaur
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Centaur
Greg Wrenn
Spring 2013


Help is on the Way
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Help Is on the Way
John Brehm
Spring 2012


Voodoo Inverso
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Voodoo Inverso
Mark Wagenaar
Spring 2012


Taken Somehow by Surprise
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Taken Somehow by Surprise
David Clewell
Spring 2011


Last Seen
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Last Seen
Jacqueline Jones LaMon
Spring 2011


Wait
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Wait
Alison Stine
Spring 2011


The Mouths of Grazing Things
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The Mouths of Grazing Things
Jennifer Boyden
Spring 2010


Falling Brick Kills Local Man
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Falling Brick Kills Local Man
Mark Kraushaar
Spring 2009


Bird Skin Coat
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Bird Skin Coat
Angela Sorby
Spring 2009


The Royal Baker’s Daughter
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The Royal Baker’s Daughter
Barbara Goldberg
Spring 2008


Meditations on Rising and Falling
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Meditations on Rising and Falling
Philip Pardi
Spring 2008


New Jersey
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New Jersey
Betsy Andrews
Spring 2007


Reunion
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Reunion
Fleda Brown
Spring 2007


Jagged with Love
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Jagged with Love
Susanna Childress
Fall 2005


Funny
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Funny
Jennifer Michael Hecht
Fall 2005


Hot Popsicles
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Hot Popsicles
Charles Harper Webb
Spring 2005


Sea of Faith
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Sea of Faith
John Brehm
Fall 2004


A Sail to Great Island
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A Sail to Great Island
Alan Feldman
Fall 2004


Late Psalm
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Late Psalm
Betsy Sholl
Spring 2004


Reactor
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Reactor
Judith Vollmer
Spring 2004


The Year We Studied Women
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The Year We Studied Women
Bruce Snider
Fall 2003


The Room Where I Was Born
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The Room Where I Was Born
Brian Teare
Fall 2003


The Low End of Higher Things
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The Low End of Higher Things
David Clewell
Spring 2003


Show and Tell
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Show and Tell
New and Selected Poems
Jim Daniels
Spring 2003


Ripe
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Ripe
Roy Jacobstein
Fall 2002


Acts of Contortion
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Acts of Contortion
Anna George Meek
Fall 2002


Horizon Note
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Horizon Note
Robin Behn
Fall 2001


Borrowed Dress
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Borrowed Dress
Cathy Colman
Fall 2001


Ejo
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Ejo
Poems, Rwanda, 1991–1994
Derick Burleson
Fall 2000


A Field Guide to the Heavens
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A Field Guide to the Heavens
Frank X. Gaspar
Fall 1999


Liver
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Liver
Charles Harper Webb
Fall 1999


Mrs. Dumpty
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Mrs. Dumpty
Chana Bloch
Fall 1998


Bardo
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Bardo
Suzanne Paola
Fall 1998


And Her Soul Out Of Nothing
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And Her Soul Out Of Nothing
Olena Kalytiak Davis
Fall 1997


Don't Explain
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Don't Explain
Betsy Sholl
Fall 1997

Brief Landing on the Earth’s Surface
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Brief Landing on the Earth’s Surface
Juanita Brunk
Fall 1996


The Legend of Light
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The Legend of Light
Bob Hicok
Fall 1995


Old and New Testaments
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Old and New Testaments
Lynn Powell
Fall 1995


Now We’re Getting Somewhere
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Now We’re Getting Somewhere
David Clewell
Fall 1994


The Red Virgin
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The Red Virgin
A Poem of Simone Weil
Stephanie Strickland
Fall 1993


Sweet Ruin
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Sweet Ruin
Tony Hoagland
Fall 1992


Salt
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Salt
Renée Ashley
Fall 1991


Level Green
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Level Green
Judith Vollmer
Fall 1990


Slow Joy
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Slow Joy
Stefanie Marlis
Fall 1989


Pocket Sundial
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Pocket Sundial
Lisa Zeidner
Spring 1989


Saving the Young Men of Vienna
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Saving the Young Men of Vienna
David Kirby
Fall 1987


Talking to Strangers
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Talking to Strangers
Patricia Dobler
Fall 1986


Places/Everyone
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Places/Everyone
Jim Daniels
Fall 1985


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