Sundog Poetry Book Award

Julia C. Alter | photo: Karen Pike

2023 Winner

Julia C. Alter for Some Dark Familiar

“I was drawn to this book for its singular voice and remarkable tonal control. Each poem has an intensity and a sense of risk that makes the stakes immediately feel palpable and real. Some Dark Familiar is filled with poems that are hard to turn away from, and the feeling it evokes lingers long after each reading.“

-Matthew Olzmann, Final Judge

Runners Up

Ben Aleshire for Poems for Bystanders
Partridge Boswell for Ensō Carousel

2023 Book Award Finalists

Ben Aleshire
Eve Alexandra
Julia Alter
Partridge Boswell
Michael Carter
Darren Higgins
Raymond Hudson
Karina Jutzi
Carlene Kucharczyk
Taylor Mardis Katz
Hatsy McGraw
Abby Paige
Mark Rubin

2023 Final Judge: Matthew Olzmann

Matthew Olzmann is the author of Constellation Route as well as two previous collections of poetry: Mezzanines and Contradictions in the Design. A recipient of fellowships from Kundiman, MacDowell, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Olzmann’s poems have appeared in the New York Times, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prizes, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. He is an assistant professor at Dartmouth College and also teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.