The day after we arrived in South Korea, Gary received an email notifying him that his manuscript “Missing You Metropolis” won the 2009 Cave Canem book award. He was told not to tell anyone else until they had published the  announcement on their website. It has since been announced and Gary has shared the news with all his important peeps – so I am now free to brag about his great work on my blog.

Here is an excerpt from the official announcement:

NEW YORK, NY (September 3, 2009) — Cave Canem Foundation, Inc., North America’s premier “home for black poetry,” is pleased to announce that Gary Jackson has received the 2009 Cave Canem Poetry Prize for his manuscript, Missing you, Metropolis, selected by Yusef Komunyakaa. Graywolf Press will publish the collection in fall 2010. Additionally, Mr. Jackson will receive $1,000 and a feature reading. Honorable Mentions were given to Lillian‐Yvonne Bertram and Jarita Davis for their manuscripts, Inside the Face Inside the Heart Inside and As If Returning Home, respectively.

Most impressive of all is Yusef Komunyakaa’s comments about Gary’s manuscript:

Yusef Komunyakaa writes, “Gary Jacksonʹs Missing you, Metropolis embodies and underscores a voice uniquely shaped and tuned for the 21st century. Playful, jaunty and highly serious…the collection is gauged by a sophisticated heart. Pathos breathes within and slightly underneath the
visual comedy, and this quality is the true genius of Missing you, Metropolis.”

Here is a link to the Cave Canem site for more information about the award…

http://www.cavecanempoets.org/cave-canem-prize