❋Claire Kageyama-Ramakrishnan was born in Santa Monica and raised in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. in English from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, earned an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow, and completed her M.A. in literature at the University of California at Berkeley. At the University of Houston she was a Cambor Fellow and earned a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing. Kageyama-Ramakrishnan published three books while she was living: Shadow Mountain; Bear, Diamonds, and Crane; and Mentor and Muse: Essays from Poets to Poets. She passed away in 2016.

In late February 2026, rules and submission guidelines will be posted. We are also happy to note the finalist judge for this year’s contest will be Keetje Kuipers (Keetje Kuipers – Poet).