Join Milkweed Editions, the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, and The Ruby to celebrate Human Resources, the debut collection of poems by Ryann Stevenson and the 2021 winner of the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. Stevenson will be joined in conversation by poet Richie Hofmann.
The Max Ritvo Poetry Prize Presents virtual event series brings together a vibrant group of poets and poetry advocates for an evening of celebration and conversation. Milkweed Editions is proud to amplify the voices of debut poets through the annual Max Ritvo Poetry Prize, particularly because fostering a dynamic poetry community was integral to Max Ritvo’s work and life. This annual virtual event series will provide Max Ritvo Poetry Prize winning poets a platform to introduce their work to readers across the country with the support and enthusiasm of their publisher, the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, and a local literary organization of their choosing.
Free and open to the public. Please RSVP to let us know you're coming! You will receive the Zoom link via email on the day of the event.
Those who register via Eventbrite will receive a special code in their confirmation email. Redeem this code when you purchase a copy of Human Resources from milkweed.org to receive a broadside (featuring a poem from the collection) and free shipping!
PRAISE FOR HUMAN RESOURCES
“The controlled anxiety of the present is captured brilliantly by this wary, lucid book. We live in an era when our humanness is worn down—by virtual beings, bots, synced devices, battery life, data, radiation, sulfates, and lead—so we must practice mindfulness to keep from losing track of who we are. This brave, tough book suggests that flowering maples, yoga, orcas, and the hands of our mothers might help us preserve our innocence. Human Resources is a lyric transcript of what it is to be a citizen at a punishing time.”—HENRI COLE
“With a profound, clear-headed intelligence, Stevenson manages to capture a view of the world which I have seldom encountered in poetry—in these restrained and lucid poems, humans are rendered as precise mining material for electronic devices, artificial intelligence, and self-help optimization. But the poems are complex—they are wrought with equal amounts of astonishment, gratitude, and grief for the wonders of technology. Unputdownable, tender, funny, eerie, and utterly singular—Human Resources is one of the most exciting poetry books I have read in a long time.”—ARIA ABER
“The lyric explorations in Stevenson’s beautifully discriminating book—of self and soul, femininity and society, the peculiarities and intricacies of ‘design’ within nature and culture—are stunned, fine-minded testimonies. In a time of cold virtual ecosystems and lightweight psychological theories and remedies, Human Resources speaks for mystery and vulnerability.”—SANDRA LIM
About Ryann Stevenson
Ryann Stevenson is the author of Human Resources, selected by Henri Cole as winner of the 2021 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. Her poems have appeared in the Adroit Journal, American Letters & Commentary, Bennington Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Cortland Review, Denver Quarterly, and Linebreak, among others. She lives in Oakland, California.
About Milkweed Editions
Milkweed Editions is one of the nation’s leading independent publishers. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, our mission is to identify, nurture, and publish transformative literature, and build an engaged community around it. We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world, and that bringing new voices to essential conversations is the clearest path to ensuring a vibrant, diverse, and empowered future.
About Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the nation’s leading champion of poets and poetry with supporters in all fifty states. The organization annually awards more funds to individual poets than any other organization through its prize program, giving a total of $1.25 million to more than 200 poets at various stages of their careers. The Academy also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly-funded website for poets and poetry; originated and organizes National Poetry Month; publishes the popular Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides award-winning resources to K–12 educators, including the Teach This Poem series; hosts an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition working together to promote the value poets bring to the country’s culture.
Sign up for their popular Poem-a-Day series here!
About The Ruby
The Ruby is an arts & letters–focused work and gathering space in San Francisco for women, trans women, and nonbinary creatives. We call our members — who include writers, artists, photographers, filmmakers, podcasters, and other creatives — "Rubies." Rubies are multifaceted, and share a common desire to expand their world views and communities, share their passions, and make meaningful connections. And Rubies are strong: as resilient as sapphires and only a little bit softer than diamonds. Almost all rubies have flaws, and that’s what makes them interesting: we wear ours proudly. Learn more about us at our website and Instagram.
About the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize
Designed to honor the legacy of one of the most original and accomplished poets to debut in recent years—and to reward outstanding poets for years to come—the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize awards $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions to the author of a debut collection of poems. We are delighted and deeply honored to celebrate Max’s legacy with this prize, and to continue publishing outstanding emerging poets. Thank you to the Alan B. Slifka Foundation and its president, Riva Ariella Ritvo-Slifka, for supporting the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize.