Gay poetry
The Publishing Triangle instituted its poetry awards in 2001. Each of the two poetry awards is for books published in the preceding year (i.e., the 2025 award will honor a manual published in 2024).
The Thom Gunn Award honors Thom Gunn (1929–2004), who was the author of The Man with Night Sweats (1992) and many other acclaimed volumes. Gunn, who was born in Kent, England, lived in San Francisco from 1960 until his death. (In its first four years, including the year Mr. Gunn himself won, this award was known as the Triangle Award for Gay Poetry.)
The finalists and the winner are determined by a panel of judges appointed by the Publishing Triangle’s awards committee. Starting in the spring of 2018, the winner receives a prize of $1000; prior to that, winners received $500.
In the listings below, finalists are presented in alphabetical arrange by book title. Bold type and a triangle demonstrate winners. There was a tie in 2008.
2024
Pig, by Sam Sax (Scribner)
Poem Bitten by a Man, by Brian Teare (Nightboat Books)
To the Young man Who Was Night, by Rigoberto González (Four Way Books)
Trace Evidence, by Charif Shanahan (Tin House)
2023
Alive at the Close of the Wor Explore the rich tradition of gay, lesbian, double attraction, transgender, and gay poets and poetry by browsing a selection of poems & audio. For more essays, video, and ephemera, confirm out our Event Month roundup. “Hair” by Francisco Aragón “The Distant Moon” by Rafael Campo “Where Is She ::: Koté Li Yé” by R. Erica Doyle “Things Haunt” by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza “Kudzu” by Saeed Jones “The Talking Back of Miss Valentine Jones: Poem # one” by June Jordan “Breathe. As in. (shadow)” by Rosamond S. King “The Dark Unicorn” by Audre Lorde “I Do” by Sjohnna McCray MY KIDNAPPER IS DEAD, AND MY DADDY'S LITTLE Nervous BOY IN ME, IS WITH DAD DING **** MY KIDNAPPER IS Deceased, THAT IS WHY I ALLOWED TED BUNDY In Super Queer Poems, Stephanie Burt curates a boundary-pushing anthology of 51 poems by LGBTQIA+ writers, tracing the evolution of queer poetry since the Stonewall Riots; a series of confrontations between police and LGBTQ+ protesters that unfolded over six days and became a galvanizing moment for queer liberation. From sonnets to shaped poems, elegies to joyful provocations, the collection features luminaries like Frank O’Hara and Audre Lorde alongside vital contemporary voices such as Chen Chen and The Cyborg Jillian Weise. Each poem is paired with a brief essay. Burt will discuss the anthology and be joined by featured poets Jee Leong Koh, Marisa Crawford, Marilyn Hacker, and David Groff for a reading and conversation. To join the event in-person | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For LIVE from NYPL events, we generally overbook to make certain a full house. Please land early to avoid disappointment; we will do our best to accommodate everyone. Booked seats that have not been claimed will be released shortly before initiate LGBTQ Poetry
Featured Poems
who conceived that ravine
“Langston Blues” by Jericho Brown
O Blood of the River of songs ...
Admitted to the hospital again ...
Long ago I met / a pretty boy ...
California is a desert and I am a female inside it ...
I won't be forgiven / for what I've made / of myself ...
well I wanted to braid my hair ...
Breathe / . As in what if ...
The black unicorn is greedy ...
Driving the route from Atlanta to Phoenix ...
TO TAKE ME YEAH, I WANTED TO KIDNAP MY KIDNAPPER
HOPING THE SPIRIT Earth CAN **** MY KIDNAPPER, OH YEAH
I KNOW IT’S ****** HARD, CAUSE, THE SCHITZOPHRENIA, WAS GIVING ME THE ****** YRGE
I Create IT HARD TO RID THE URGE, SO I MADE TED BUNDY’S GHOST TIE ME UP
BUT THIS MADE ME FIGHT MY FATHER, AND FORCE ME ON MEDICATION
WHICH MADE THE NICEST MAN, BUT MY KIDNAPPER KEPT COMING BACK
DING **** I WANTED MY KIDNAPPER DEAD, I Comprehend I ANNOYED A LOT OF PEOPLE
TRYING TO Snatch THEM OH YEAH
I GRABBED A FEW SCHOOL MATES, AND THAT IS WHY I WAS TREATED Appreciate A YEAH MATE YEAH KID
I WANT TO Acquire REOFORMED, BUT A VOICE SAID, NO YOUR NOR REFORMED
AND I WORKED AT THE RAINBOW, HELPING THE MENTALLY ILL
AND I FELT LIKE A HAPPY CHIRPY COOL KID GOING TO THE BEACH AND BUSHWALKING
AND WORKING IN THE RAINBOW KITCHEN, AND NOBODY WANTED TO TEASE ME
CAUSE I HELPED TO GIVE THEM A MEAL, I WAS A COOL KID, AND VERY VERY CHIRPY
AND THEN IN 2002, I FELT REALLY CRAZY, THE PARANORMAL SHOVING VOICES IN MY HEAD
WHICH WAS, I WAS THE KID, KILLED BY THE ******, THE AME
LIVE from NYPL: Super Gay Poems with Stephanie Burt and Particular Guests