Jia-Rui Cook is a writer, editor, and producer in Los Angeles, California. Her debut book of poetry, Soft Beasts, won the 2025 Philip Levine Prize and is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press in 2027.
“‘Soft Beasts’ is both wonder and wander. Its pages hold stark, living images of place. … I cherish this book for how it teaches us to be alive in the present moment: worrying about old socks, carrying the stories of our families. Cook is an exciting voice in American poetry.”
— Jake Skeets, final judge, Philip Levine Prize
