1982: Donald Hall
1983 John Leonard
1984 Raymond Carver
1985 Carolyn Forche
1986 Alison Lurie
1987 Stanley Kunitz
1988 Hilma Wolitzer
1989 Philip Levine
1989 Gerald Stern
1990 Michael Ondaatje
1991 Carolyn Kizer
1992 Nicholas Pileggi
1993 James Tate
1994 Jamaica Kincaid
1995 Robert Creeley
1996 Tobias Wolff
1997 Charles Simic
1998 Howard Norman
1999 Colleen McIlroy
2000 Michael Cunningham
2001 Jim Harrison
2002 James Crumley
2003 Cornelius Eady
2004 Dennis Lehane
2005: Alice Fulton
2006: Stewart O'Nan
2007: Elizabeth Alexander
2008: Russell Banks