Last night at the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Awards, two poets received the annual Poetry prize–the first dual award in NBCC history.

Poets Juan Felipe Herrera and August Kleinzahler shared the critical award. Following the ceremony, GalleyCat caught up with Herrera, author of the award-winning collection, “Half the World in Light,” published by the University of Arizona Press.

The poet talked about how the poetry reading scene shaped his writing, paying his respects to the coffee houses, bars, open mic nights, and rallies where he found his poetic voice. Check out the complete list of NBCC winners and watch our interview with Criticism winner Seth Lerer.