Heid E. Erdrich, photo by B Fresh Photography & Media

Five poets--including two from Minnesota--have been chosen as winners of the 2019 National Poetry Series. Each poet will be awarded $10,000 and publication. Their books will be published by a variety of publishers. The winners include Heid E. Erdrich of Minneapolis, whose manuscript, "Little Big Bully," will be published in 2020 by Penguin Press, and Michael Torres of Mankato, whose book, "An Incomplete List of Names," will be published by Beacon Press.

The other winners are "Field Music," by Alexandria Hall, to be published by Ecco; "Fractal Shores," by Diane Louie, to be published by University of Georgia Press; and "Thrown in the Throat," by Benjamin Garcia, to be published by Minneapolis's Milkweed Editions.

The National Poetry Series was established in 1978 to recognize and promote excellence in poetry.

Judges for this competition have, over time, included Margaret Atwood, Robert Bly, Billy Collins, D.A. Powell, Mark Doty and Maxine Kumin.