Jason Schneiderman ’98 Receives 2026 Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism

English and Russian grad receives $10,000 award for essay collection exploring the relationship between poetry and technology.

By Chelsea McLin M.A. ’19

Jason Schneiderman ’98 was awarded the 2026 Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism from the Poetry Foundation for his book “Nothingism: Poetry at the End of Print Culture,” which explores poetry and its relationship to contemporary culture and technology.

The $10,000 award is part of the Poetry Foundation’s annual Pegasus Awards, which celebrate the range of contemporary poetry and recognize contributions to the art form beyond individual collections of poems.

Schneiderman’s collection of essays question poetry’s place as old media traditions fade. He explores the way that digital culture has begun to reshape America’s poetry landscape, examining a considerable shift in the way that poetry is written, read and taught. 

A double major in English and Russian during his time at the University of Maryland, his work as a poet and critic includes several books of poetry, including “Hold Me Tight,” “Sublimation” and “Primary Source.” His critical and creative work has also appeared in publications including the New York Times and the Paris Review. He is an English professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson. 

Schneiderman will be recognized alongside the other four 2026 Pegasus Award recipients at a public reading at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago on October 23.

Photo by Joshua Going