Poetry Foundation Names 2026 Fellowship Recipients

The cohort includes Xochi Quetzali Cartland, Fatima Jafar, Noel Munguia-Moreno, Shaina Phenix, and Tariq Thompson. Beyond the financial grant, the fellows receive a subscription to Poetry magazine, invitations to submit work for publication, and a sponsored appearance at the 2026 Dodge Poetry Festival for their inaugural cohort reading. Poetry editor-in-chief Adrian Matejka emphasized that these writers were selected not only for the caliber of their work but for their sustained dedication to their respective communities.

The selected poets bring significant academic and literary credentials to the program. Cartland, a queer Chicana poet, is currently transitioning into an MFA program at Johns Hopkins. Jafar, an assistant teaching professor at Georgetown, holds a background as a Wallace Stegner Fellow. Munguia-Moreno, an educator and son of Mexican migrants, joins the group alongside Phenix, author of the Miller Williams Poetry Prize-winning collection To Be Named Something Else, and Thompson, a Memphis-based educator and author of the chapbook LONE LILY.

In addition to the primary fellows, the Foundation recognized five finalists—Isaiah Back-Gaal, Isha Camara, Ajla Dizdarević, Miguel Martin Perez, and JinJin Xu—each receiving $2,000 in professional development funds. The selection process involved a multi-stage review by 15 external readers who evaluated applications to determine the final cohort. The Foundation plans to open the application cycle for the 2027 fellowships on January 15, 2027.