Michael Perkins Poetry Prize

In 1957, when he was fourteen years old, Michael Perkins won a poetry contest hosted by a local radio station. The contest helped him realize that he wanted to be a poet, and marked the beginning of a rich 65-year career as a poet, novelist, essayist, and critic. Michael was frustrated throughout his life by the lack of support for the arts, and for poetry in particular. In memory of Michael, who died on February 10, 2022, from complications due to Parkinson's Disease, Michael's family is raising funds to establish a poetry prize in his name to be given annually to high school students in Ulster County, New York, where Michael spent most of his life, to inspire more young poets to pursue their passion. Our goal is to create a modest endowment with which to fund the prize in perpetuity. When our fundraising goal is reached, the family will identify a partner organization to help administer the prize, solicit submissions, and select winners.