Nominations

Shō Poetry Journal nominates poets every year for the following honors:

Monarch Queer Literary Awards (2026)

William Ward Butler, “Reciprocity” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Ranudi Gunawardena, “Girl Cousins, Pixelated” (Shō No. 6) [Read & Listen]
Mickie Kennedy, “American Porn, 1986” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Jackson D. Moorman, “At Lake Merritt I’m wearing a hoodie with nothing under it (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Ciaran Pierce, “Grindr Etiquette” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]

Nina Riggs Poetry Award (2026)

Dorsey Craft, “Rejected Persona, Yoga Mom” (Shō No. 5) [Read]
Maja Lukic, “Your Mother Knew Many Words for Beauty and Used All of Them to Call You” (Shō No. 6) [Read & Listen]
Nina C. Peláez, “Doubt” (Shō No. 7) [Read & Listen]
Jessica Nirvana Ram, “Carving Rivers” (Shō No. 5 ) [Read & Listen]
Jeddie Sophronius, “Listening to Ezio Bosso on Flight EY 474 to Jakarta” (Shō No. 5) [Audio]
Donna Vorreyer, “The Sound of Just Before” (Shō No. 5) [Audio]

Pushcart Prize Anthology (Volume LI, 2027 Edition)

Jo Bear, “After the Gulls” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Christian J. Collier, “Nocturne” (Shō No. 7) [Read & Listen]
Erica Dawson, “Portrait of the artist as sonnet for Dickinson’s line A wounded deer—leaps highest—” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Chris Hoshnic, “Event / Response” (Shō No. 6) [Read & Listen]
Maja Lukic, “Wings of Desire” (Shō No. 6) [Audio – Instagram]
Meg Reynolds, “Milkstone” (Shō No. 6)

Best Spiritual Literature (2026 Anthology)

T. De Los Reyes, “living room spacetime” (Shō No. 6)
Saddiq Dzukogi, “Bakandamiya IX.” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Susanna Lang, “If I could pray anywhere” (Shō No. 6)
Becka Mara McKay, “Golden Shovel as Anthropomorphism” (Shō No. 6) [Audio]
Matthew Tuckner, “Mimesis” (Shō No. 7)
Nicholas Yingling, “Somewhere Between Salvation and Creation” (Shō No. 7) [Audio]

Best of the Net (2026 Anthology)

Best New Poets Anthology (2025 Anthology)

Ranudi Gunawardena, “Girl Cousins, Pixelated” (Shō No. 6) [Read & Listen]
Maja Lukic, “Your Mother Knew Many Words for Beauty and Used All of Them to Call You” (Shō No. 6) [Read & Listen]

Best New Poets Anthology (2024 Anthology)

Best Spiritual Literature (2025 Anthology)

Richard Collins, “Wind Flows Over Stone Nest Dojo” (Shō No. 4) [Audio]
Michael Garrigan, “In Last Light We Drive to the River” (Shō No. 4) [Audio]
Sharon Weightman Hoffmann, “I Sing the Body Acoustic” (Shō No. 4)
Chiagoziem Jideofor, “a name, a condition” (Shō No. 4) [Audio]
Monica Kim, “praise & sorrow ekphrastic” (Shō No. 5) [Read & listen]
Mollie O’Leary, “Late Summer Study” (Shō No. 5) [Audio] * Best Spiritual Literature Vol. 10

Pushcart Prize Anthology (Volume L, 2026 Edition)

Danielle Shandiin Emerson, “Sometimes, she listened to his stories.” (Shō No. 4) [Audio]
Jose Hernandez Diaz, “Little League, America” (Shō No. 5)
Melissa Fite Johnson, “I Got Off the Plane and Everyone Was Dead” (Shō No. 4) [Audio]
Kuhu Joshi, “Saraswati claims creation” (Shō No. 5) [Audio]
Arah Ko, “Magpie 까치” (Shō No. 4) [Interview with audio]
Jessica Nirvana Ram, “Carving Rivers” (Shō No. 5) [Read & listen]

Best New Poets Anthology (2023 Anthology)

Ally Ang, “After ‘Prolonged Grief Disorder’ Was Added to the DSM-5” (Shō No. 3) [Read & listen]
Sage Ravenwood, “Leonard Peltier’s Plea for Clemency” (Shō No. 3) [Read – Reprint in Verse Daily]

Best Spiritual Literature (2024 Anthology)

Eliana Chow, “Bamboo Girl” (Shō No. 3)
Jo Angela Edwins, “A Tired Woman Washes Dishes” (Shō No. 3)
Sage Ravenwood, “Less Godlike” (Shō No. 3)
Bunkong Tuon, “Letter to My Unborn Son” (Shō No. 3) [Audio]
Ellen June Wright, “I Am What Happens When Nature Has Its Way” (Shō No. 3) [Audio]
Cooper Young, “Behind the Buddha” (Shō No. 3) * Best Spiritual Literature Vol. 9

Pushcart Prize Anthology (Volume XLIX, 2025 Edition)

Ally Ang, “Against Beauty” (Shō No. 3)
Sean Thomas Dougherty, “Hanzi in the Rain” (Shō No. 3) [Read]
Andrew Payton — “Not My Country” (Shō No. 3) [Audio]
Sage Ravenwood — “Leonard Peltier’s Plea for Clemency” (Shō No. 3) [Read – Reprint in Verse Daily]
Dare Williams — “My Lover Watches Their Lover Die” (Shō No. 3) [Audio]
Ellen June Wright — “I Am What Happens When Nature Has Its Way” (Shō No. 3) [Audio]

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