December 22, 2022
2022 James Welch Prize Winners
By Indigenous Nations Poets
Poetry Northwest’s James Welch Prize is awarded for two outstanding poems, each written by an Indigenous U.S. poet. The prize is named for Blackfeet and Gros Ventre writer James Welch, whose early poems were featured in Poetry Northwest and who went on to become one of the region’s most important writers.
The 2022 winners are Melanie Merle and Indigenous Nations Poets Fellow, Halee Kirkwood. The 2022 James Welch Prize was judged by Indigenous Nations Poets board member, Elise Paschen.
Congratulations to the winners and all who participated! Please see the link below for more information on the James Welch Prize and information on the 2023 application:
Click below for video clips from this year’s James Welch Prize reading:
In-Na-Po
Founded in 2020, In-Na-Po—Indigenous Nations Poets—is a national Indigenous poetry community committed to mentoring emerging writers, nurturing the growth of Indigenous poetic practices, and raising the visibility of all Native Writers past, present, and future. In-Na-Po recognizes the role of poetry in sustaining tribal sovereign nations and Native languages.
