W. S. DiPiero has been awarded the 2012 Ruth Lilly Prize by the Poetry Foundation. From the Poetry Foundation website: “Presented annually to a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets. At $100,000, it is also one of the nation’s largest literary prizes. Established in 1986, the prize is sponsored and administered by the Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. The prize will be presented at the Pegasus Awards ceremony, along with the 2012 Emily Dickinson First Book Award, at the Poetry Foundation on Monday, June 11.”
I met DiPiero when I was his student at Stanford from 2003-5, and I consider him a friend. I was incredibly pleased when he allowed us to publish some of his work to kick off our 2010 National Poetry Month project. I think I might have to drive up to Chicago to see the ceremony.
