New York, NY (September 23, 2026)—The Poetry Coalition, a national alliance of nearly thirty poetry organizations, is pleased to announce the 2026–27 cohort of its fellowship program. Eight emerging literary leaders have been selected to receive paid fellowships and professional development opportunities at Poetry Coalition member organizations across the United States: CantoMundo at the Virginia G. Piper Center, Dodge Poetry @ NJPAC, Indigenous Nations Poets, Mass Poetry, O, Miami, Poets House, Poetry Society of America, and Woodland Pattern.
“Poetry flourishes because of the people who build programs, partnerships, publications, and communities around it,” said Robert Casper, President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets. “These fellowships create pathways for future leaders in the field while strengthening poetry organizations across the country. We are delighted to welcome this new cohort and grateful to the Mellon Foundation for its continued investment in the future of poetry.”
Launched in 2016, the Poetry Coalition brings together organizations working to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. With support from the Mellon Foundation, the Coalition launched its fellowship program for emerging arts administrators in 2020 and expanded the program with renewed funding in 2024.
The 2026–27 fellows will work 20 hours per week from September 2026 through June 2027. Each fellow receives a $20,000 stipend, an additional $1,100 health care allowance, and professional development opportunities designed to build experience in literary arts nonprofit work. The Academy of American Poets serves as the administrative and fiscal coordinator of the Poetry Coalition.
The Poetry Coalition’s 2026–27 Fellows
Christopher Sablan Diaz is an Indigenous CHamoru from the Pacific Island of Guåhan (Guam). He has received fellowships and support from Indigenous Nations Poets, Kundiman, McCormack Writing Center (formerly Tin House), the Washington State Arts Commission, and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Sablan Diaz is a two-time grand slam spoken word champion and has taught with Writers in the Schools. He lives on the unceded ancestral lands of the Chinook in Vancouver, Washington, where he volunteers to co-facilitate writing workshops at the juvenile detention center.
Hosted by Indigenous Nations Poets, a national Indigenous poetry community committed to mentoring emerging writers, nurturing Indigenous poetic practices, and raising the visibility of Native writers.
Chris Hoshnic is a Diné poet, playwright, and filmmaker from Sweetwater, Arizona. Born to kinlichii’nii and born for tachinii, he is the recipient of Poetry Northwest’s 2025 James Welch Prize. Hoshnic’s work has also appeared in Poetry magazine and The Kenyon Review. He is editor-in-chief of Chapter House Journal, directs Diné Kids Film Club, and is an MFA candidate at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Hosted by CantoMundo at the Virginia G. Piper Center, a national poetry organization that cultivates a community of Latine poets through workshops, symposia, public readings, and publications.
Livia Meneghin is the author of two chapbooks: feathering (Bottlecap Press, 2025) and Honey in My Hair (Finishing Line Press, 2015). She is the cofounder and managing editor of Two Cardinals Literary and serves as assistant chapbook editor at Sundress Publications. Meneghin has received recognition from the Academy of American Poets, the City of Boston, and elsewhere. Since earning her MFA in poetry, she has taught writing and literature at the collegiate level.
Hosted by Mass Poetry, which harnesses the power of words to engage and empower communities across Massachusetts through poetry programs that foster dialogue and connection.
Crystal Palomo, a first-generation Cuban American, is a Miami native with a BA in creative writing from Florida International University.
Hosted by O, Miami, which celebrates South Florida through the empathy-building power of poetry and its civic publishing model, bringing community voices into public spaces and books.
Nyds L. Rivera was born and raised in New Jersey. They received both their BA and MA in writing from Rowan University. Rivera is a recipient of the 2024 AWP Intro Journals Project Award and a Pushcart Prize and was a Best of the Net nominee. They are the author of the chapbook to break the hearts of mothers (Ethel, 2025).
Hosted by Dodge Poetry @ NJPAC, which uses poetry to build community, amplify poets who challenge existing narratives, and create spaces for empathy, healing, and repair.
Teja Sudhakar is an interdisciplinary artist pursuing their PhD at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Originally from Chennai, India, and a longtime Kentuckian, Sudhakar’s work explores queer and immigrant narratives from the South Asian diaspora.
Hosted by Woodland Pattern, a Milwaukee literary arts organization dedicated to the discovery, cultivation, and presentation of poetry and home to an internationally recognized collection of more than 25,000 small-press poetry titles.
Cydni Thompson is a Black poet from Jamaica, Queens. She is entering her final year of her MFA studies at Queens College. Her work has been featured in New England Review, Only Poems, Poetry Online, and elsewhere.
Hosted by the Poetry Society of America, the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Founded in 1910, the Poetry Society of America’s mission is to place poetry at the crossroads of American life through public programs, awards, public art projects, and initiatives that connect poets and poetry with diverse communities.
Sarah Whitacre is a queer poet and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from New York University with a BA in English literature and journalism.
Hosted by Poets House, a poetry library and meeting place dedicated to documenting the diversity of modern poetry, encouraging dialogue about poetry in culture, and cultivating wider audiences for the art form.
Poetry Coalition Fellow headshots can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-imLybzbpyp3etfwSBbohZfJHFqybw4m?usp=sharing
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty and empowerment that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and guided by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the largest poetry membership organization in the United States. Each year, the Academy awards more than $1.3 million to poets at various stages of their careers through its prize program. It also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides free resources to educators; hosts public poetry programs and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition that promotes the value poets bring to our culture. To learn more about the Academy of American Poets, including its staff, Board of Directors, and Board of Chancellors, visit poets.org.
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