Henri Cole, Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of English, is the sixth winner of the Jackson Poetry Prize by Poets & Writers, Inc. The $50,000 prize is presented annually to honor an American poet of exceptional talent who deserves wider recognition. It is designed to provide what all poets need -- time and the encouragement to write. Cole was selected by three esteemed judges, all American poets, whose citation includes, "(Cole's) poems' shimmering, enigmatic tranqjuility coexists with intense feeling; they are clear without being stodgy, striking in their poise and delicacy and formal beauty without seeming, ever, mere exquisite diversions. He is an artist of the greatest gifts."

Cole commented, "To be chosen by three American poets is an honor. Louise Gluck is my favorite American poet, as my students know, so the delight in seeing her name among the judges is unsurpassed."

He added, "I love teaching and the arduous process of helping students to assemble words into art. But I also love writing -- nothing ratifies me more -- and this prize will help me to hide out for awhile, without financial concerns, and devote myself to my craft."

Cole was born in Japan and raised in Virginia. He is the author of eight books of poetry and has won many awards, including the Lenore Marshall Poetry Award, the Ambassador Book Award in Poetry, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, among others. A new book, Touch, has recently been published by Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

The Jackson Poetry Prize, sponsored by Poets & Writers is one of the most substantial awards given to an American poet. Poets & Writers is the nation's largest non-profit literary organization serving creative writers. It was founded in 1970.