Assistant professor of English Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon has been named a finalist for a 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her poetry collection "Open Interval" (University of Pittsburgh Press).

Fifty nominees for the 30th annual book prizes were announced Feb. 22 in 10 categories, including history, biography, graphic novels, current interest, mystery/thriller, science/technology, and young adult literature. Winners will be announced at a ceremony April 23 in Los Angeles.

The poems in "Open Interval" draw on the intersections of astronomy and mathematics, history, literature and lived experience. The collection was previously nominated for a 2009 National Book Award.

Van Clief-Stefanon's debut collection, "Black Swan," won the 2001 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She also collaborated with Elizabeth Alexander on the 2008 chapbook "Poems in Conversation and a Conversation," and her poetry has appeared in several journals and anthologies. She has collaborated with local theater companies and musicians on a variety of projects and is currently working on a collection of essays, "Purchase," and a third collection of poems, "The Coal Tar Colors."