Celebrating New Voices: 2026 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellows Announced
The Poetry Foundation has recently unveiled the list of winners for the prestigious 2026 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships, a program dedicated to honoring some of the most promising young poets in the United States. This year, five exceptional poets have been selected from a competitive pool of applicants, highlighting the invaluable contributions they each bring to the literary community.
The fellowship awards a total of $145,000, with each of the five selected fellows receiving $27,000. Furthermore, they are granted a subscription to the renowned Poetry magazine and are invited to submit their works for publication consideration. Notably, the fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Dodge Poetry Festival, where they will make their debut reading as a group, allowing them to connect with other poets and audiences passionate about the art of poetry.
Among this year’s fellows are:
1. Xochi Quetzali Cartland: A queer Chicana poet hailing from the DMV area, Xochi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literary Arts from Brown University. She has been recognized as a finalist for the 2024 Poet of the Year Award and the 2026 Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize from The Missouri Review. In the fall of 2026, she will start her MFA in poetry at Johns Hopkins University.
2. Fatima Jafar: A writer from Karachi, Pakistan, Fatima was a fellow in Poetry at Stanford University for 2024-2026. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in 2023. Her work has been featured in not just American literary circles but also international publications, including The Best American Poetry 2025.
3. Noel Munguia-Moreno: Raised in West Valley City, Utah, Noel is a son of Mexican migrants with a BA from Susquehanna University and an MFA from Rutgers University–Newark. His poetry has garnered support from esteemed institutions, and his work has appeared in various literary magazines.
4. Shaina Phenix: A Black queer poet from Harlem, New York, Shaina is an accomplished author whose book To Be Named Something Else won the 2023 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. She's an assistant professor of English at Elon University and has contributed to numerous literary journals.
5. Tariq Thompson: An educator and poet from Memphis, Tennessee, Tariq has published the chapbook LONE LILY and his poetry appears in well-respected journals. With degrees from Kenyon College and New York University, he also has received honors for his creative contributions.
In addition to acknowledging the fellows, the Poetry Foundation congratulates the finalists who, while not receiving the fellowship, are awarded $2,000 for their professional development. This year's finalists include Isaiah Back-Gaal, Isha Camara, Ajla Dizdarević, Miguel Martin Perez, and JinJin Xu.
The selection process for this year’s fellowships involved a rigorous evaluation system where applications were initially reviewed by twelve external reviewers. The top scorers were then brought before an additional panel to decide on the finalists and ultimately the fellowship winners.
The Poetry Foundation expressed its gratitude to the followers of this selection process, recognizing the invaluable time and effort dedicated by the reviewers, which contributed significantly to the decision.
Applications for the 2027 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships will open from January 15 to March 1, 2027. Those interested can seek further details and inquire about the fellowship by visiting the Poetry Foundation’s official website.
Through such initiatives, the Poetry Foundation continues to transform lives with the power of poetry, fostering an environment where emerging poets can thrive and share their unique voices.
The fellowship awards a total of $145,000, with each of the five selected fellows receiving $27,000. Furthermore, they are granted a subscription to the renowned Poetry magazine and are invited to submit their works for publication consideration. Notably, the fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Dodge Poetry Festival, where they will make their debut reading as a group, allowing them to connect with other poets and audiences passionate about the art of poetry.
Among this year’s fellows are:
1. Xochi Quetzali Cartland: A queer Chicana poet hailing from the DMV area, Xochi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literary Arts from Brown University. She has been recognized as a finalist for the 2024 Poet of the Year Award and the 2026 Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize from The Missouri Review. In the fall of 2026, she will start her MFA in poetry at Johns Hopkins University.
2. Fatima Jafar: A writer from Karachi, Pakistan, Fatima was a fellow in Poetry at Stanford University for 2024-2026. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in 2023. Her work has been featured in not just American literary circles but also international publications, including The Best American Poetry 2025.
3. Noel Munguia-Moreno: Raised in West Valley City, Utah, Noel is a son of Mexican migrants with a BA from Susquehanna University and an MFA from Rutgers University–Newark. His poetry has garnered support from esteemed institutions, and his work has appeared in various literary magazines.
4. Shaina Phenix: A Black queer poet from Harlem, New York, Shaina is an accomplished author whose book To Be Named Something Else won the 2023 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. She's an assistant professor of English at Elon University and has contributed to numerous literary journals.
5. Tariq Thompson: An educator and poet from Memphis, Tennessee, Tariq has published the chapbook LONE LILY and his poetry appears in well-respected journals. With degrees from Kenyon College and New York University, he also has received honors for his creative contributions.
In addition to acknowledging the fellows, the Poetry Foundation congratulates the finalists who, while not receiving the fellowship, are awarded $2,000 for their professional development. This year's finalists include Isaiah Back-Gaal, Isha Camara, Ajla Dizdarević, Miguel Martin Perez, and JinJin Xu.
The selection process for this year’s fellowships involved a rigorous evaluation system where applications were initially reviewed by twelve external reviewers. The top scorers were then brought before an additional panel to decide on the finalists and ultimately the fellowship winners.
The Poetry Foundation expressed its gratitude to the followers of this selection process, recognizing the invaluable time and effort dedicated by the reviewers, which contributed significantly to the decision.
Applications for the 2027 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships will open from January 15 to March 1, 2027. Those interested can seek further details and inquire about the fellowship by visiting the Poetry Foundation’s official website.
Through such initiatives, the Poetry Foundation continues to transform lives with the power of poetry, fostering an environment where emerging poets can thrive and share their unique voices.
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