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Poetry was not one of the disciplines included in Joseph Pulitzer's original bequest of five hundred thousand dollars. In 1917, the first year the Pulitzer prizes were awarded, there were four categories: Novel, Drama, History, and Journalism.

Edward J. Wheeler, then president of the PSA, noted the absence of a prize for poetry and wrote to Nicholas Butler, the president of Columbia (through which university the prizes were awarded) to inquire about the cause. When Dr. Butler responded that it was impossible to award such a prize since Joseph Pulitzer had not left funds for it, Mr. Wheeler set about rectifying the situation. He met with a New York City arts patron who offered to supply funds for a Pulitzer in poetry: the patron would donate five hundred dollars to the PSA, which would then transfer the sum to Columbia University, which would in turn award it to the author of the best poetry book issued during the year. The only condition imposed by the PSA was that it should appoint the judges.

In 1920, the first Pulitzer for poetry was awarded to Sara Teasdale for her Love Songs. She, in turn, served on the second board of judges, which selected Margaret Widdemer and Carl Sandburg to share the prize. "When the third season arrived, it was the consensus of opinion in the Poetry Society that the prize would be of equal distinction if awarded directly by our organization rather than through Columbia, and, as it was sometimes difficult for us to raise the funds in time to comply with the limit for entries set by Columbia, we decided to make it strictly a Poetry Society award, and so informed the university."

By this time, however, an expectation for the prize had been established. The Pulitzer family, rather than relinquish the award, endowed an annual one thousand dollar prize for poetry, thereby establishing the Pulitzer award for poetry as we know it today.

"Thus it will be seen that the Poetry Society of America, by itself contributing money for the award for two years, though in a lesser sum, aroused the Pulitzer family to action in the matter, and was really the motive force behind the prize."

(Quotes from My House of Life, by Jessie Rittenhouse additional information from The Pulitzer Prize, by J. Douglas Bates)

-- Alicia Rabins