It was hard to choose, made only slightly easier by the restrictions placed on the nominations (no full-length collection out, no appearance in last year's anthology), but seeing as tomorrow is the deadline and I can deliberate no more, here are our two nominees for the University of Virginia, Merdian's, 2008 Best New Poets anthology:

• Kristen Orser, for "Minnows" (The Prose Poem Issue)
• Benjamin Vogt, for "Portraiture at Blanks' Photography -- Weatherford, 1978" (The Form Issue)

Congratulations! And best of luck.