PFPOI’s Pushcart and Firelit Poetry Nominees

Sarah Adeyemo and I are delighted to announce our 2026 nominees for the Pushcart Prize.

• “Ballistics,” Praise (Okunade) Ayowole

• “Four Years Old,” Jane Berger Herschlag

• “Good Night,” Eric Norris

• “Hunger Strike,” Benjamin Rose

• “Second Glorious Mystery,” Louie Leyson (coming in December)

• “Wind, October 10,” Daniel Patrick Sheehan (coming in December)

“Ballistics” is also our selection for the inaugural Firelit Poetry Prize anthology, which will be published in January by Katie Dozier and Timothy Green, the editors of Rattle magazine.

Congratulations to Praise, Jane, Eric, Benjamin, Louie, and Daniel, and to all 106 poets whose work we published in 2026. They make the time we spend on PFPOI worth it.

Alex Rettie