Rickey Laurentiis

Rickey Laurentiis
Born1989 (age 36–37)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationSarah Lawrence College (BA)
Washington University in St. Louis (MFA)
OccupationPoet
Writing career
Notable worksBoy with Thorn
Death of the First Idea
Notable awardsCave Canem Poetry Prize
Whiting Award
Guggenheim Fellowship
Websiterickeylaurentiis.com

Rickey Laurentiis (born 1989) is a trans American poet.[1][2] They are the author of Boy with Thorn (2015) and Death of the First Idea (2025), which was longlisted for the National Book Award for Poetry.[3] Laurentiis received a Whiting Award in 2018 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2026.[4][5]

Early life and education

Laurentiis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1989.[6] They were raised in New Orleans.[1][7][8] Laurentiis earned a BA in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 2011 and an MFA in Writing from Washington University in St. Louis in 2014.[9]

Career

Laurentiis's debut poetry collection, Boy with Thorn, was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2015.[7] Selected by Terrance Hayes for the 2014 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the book also won the 2016 Levis Reading Prize.[10] It was a finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, the Thom Gunn Award, and a Lambda Literary Award.[7]

Laurentiis received a Whiting Award in poetry in 2018.[4] Their other fellowships include a 2012 Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation, a 2013 Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts, and fellowships from the Lannan Foundation and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation.[7][6][8] Laurentiis was the inaugural fellow in creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for African American Poetry and Poetics.[7]

Laurentiis's second collection, Death of the First Idea, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2025.[11] The book was longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry,[11] and was a finalist for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Poetry.[12][13] In 2026, Laurentiis was named a Guggenheim Fellow in poetry.[5]

Works

Poetry collections

Awards and honors

  • 2012 Ruth Lilly Fellowship[7]
  • 2013 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry[6]
  • 2014 Cave Canem Poetry Prize for Boy with Thorn[10]
  • 2016 Levis Reading Prize for Boy with Thorn[10]
  • 2018 Whiting Award in poetry[4]
  • 2025 National Book Award for Poetry longlist for Death of the First Idea[11]
  • 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry finalist for Death of the First Idea[12]
  • 2026 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Poetry finalist for Death of the First Idea[13]
  • 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "About". Rickey Laurentiis. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Rickey Laurentiis". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Rickey Laurentiis". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Rickey Laurentiis". Whiting Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Allen, Brittany (April 14, 2026). "Meet this year's literary Guggenheim fellows". Literary Hub. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Rickey Laurentiis". National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Rickey Laurentiis". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Rickey Laurentiis". Lannan Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  9. ↑ "CV". Rickey Laurentiis. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 McNeill, Brian (August 8, 2016). "Rickey Laurentiis receives 2016 Levis Reading Prize for poetry collection 'Boy with Thorn'". VCU News. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Death of the First Idea". National Book Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "National Book Critics Circle Announces Finalists for Publishing Year 2025". National Book Critics Circle. January 20, 2026. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Announcing the Finalists for the 38th Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. March 18, 2026. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Boy with Thorn by Rickey Laurentiis". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ Forde, Diamond (June 6, 2016). "Review: Boy with Thorn by Rickey Laurentiis". Black Warrior Review. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  16. ↑ Victorine, Jacob. "Review of Boy with Thorn by Rickey Laurentiis". Muzzle Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ Wilson, Korey (2016). "Review: Boy with Thorn by Rickey Laurentiis". Blackbird. 15 (2). Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Death of the First Idea by Rickey Laurentiis". Publishers Weekly. September 5, 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ McIlvain, Ryan (October 4, 2025). "The Deep Engine of Witness". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Fields, Noa Micaela (April 2026). "Death of the First Idea". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  21. ↑ Lewis, Jennifer (March 10, 2026). "'Death of the First Idea' by Rickey Laurentiis". Southern Literary Review. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
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