Dozens of poets publish dozens of collections of verse in America each year. And on the back of those books, poets are credited with receiving dozens of awards.
Some awards are more noteworthy than others.The Yale Series of Younger Poets Award is one of the most noteworthy in the nation. And this year it belongs to Craig Arnold, a poet at the University for Utah, for his upcoming collection of poems, "Shells."
He didn't exactly get the word the old-fashioned way.
"They left a message on my voice mail," Arnold says. "I called back for details. I'm going to fly back there next June. We're just getting the editing under way now."
Arnold, who describes himself as an "Air Force brat who's lived from Europe to Japan," came to the U. on the recommendation of a college instructor.
"I've almost finished here now," he says. "But I'd kind of like to stay in Salt Lake City. It would be terrible to leave a place that's just becoming a major city."
There's no cash award with the prize. For his efforts Arnold will receive royalties from the publication. But he'll be feeling a professional boost from the award for years to come.
Being a Yale Younger Poet is a stamp of approval that never wears off.