Griffin Poetry Prize
| Griffin Poetry Prize | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | Canada |
| Presented by | Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry and Scott Griffin |
| First awarded | 2001 |
| Official website | www |
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language.[1] In 2022, the two awards were consolidated into a single international prize of CAD$130,000.[2] Shortlisted poets are awarded CAD$10,000, and a Lifetime Recognition Award comes with an award of CAD$25,000.
Contents
History
In April 2000, Scott Griffin started the Griffin Trust to raise public awareness of the crucial role poetry plays in society's cultural life. Griffin served as its Chairman, with Trustees Margaret Atwood, Robert Hass, Michael Ondaatje, Robin Robertson and David Young. In June 2004, Carolyn Forché joined the board of Trustees. New trustees have been named as follows: in 2014, Karen Solie, Colm Tóibín and Mark Doty, in 2016, Jo Shapcott and Marek Kazmierski, in 2018, Ian Williams and in 2020, Sarah Howe. Margaret Atwood, Robert Hass, Michael Ondaatje, Robin Robertson, Jo Shapcott and Colm Tóibín have assumed the role of Trustees Emeriti.
The Trust created the Griffin Poetry Prize with the aim of helping to introduce contemporary collections of poetry to the public's imagination. Originally, the award was two annual prizes of CAD$40,000 each, for collections of poetry published in English during the preceding year.[3] One prize for a living Canadian poet, the other to a living poet from any other country, which could include Canada. Qualified judges are selected annually by the Trustees. The prize shortlists are announced in April (National Poetry Month) every year. The shortlisted poets gather for an evening of public readings every May/June, and the winners are announced and all the poets are feted the following evening.
Each year, selections from the shortlisted works are gathered in The Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology,[4] typically edited by one of that year's judges. In 2019, House of Anansi Press partnered with the National Network for Equitable Library Services (NNELS) to offer the anthology in print and digital Braille editions.[5]
Eligible collections of poetry must have been published between January 1 and December 31 of the prior year. Submissions must come from publishers only.
Effective 2010, the annual Griffin Poetry Prize was doubled from CAD$100,000 to CAD$200,000 in recognition of the prize’s tenth anniversary.[6][7] The increased amount of $100,000 will be awarded as follows: CAD$10,000 to each of the seven shortlisted – four international and three Canadian – for their participation in the shortlist readings. The winners, announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards evening, will be awarded CAD$65,000 each, for a total of CAD$75,000 that includes the CAD$10,000 awarded at the readings the previous evening.[6]
In November 2010, Scott Griffin announced a new Griffin Trust initiative called Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie, a bilingual recitation contest for high school students across Canada.[8][9]
The Griffin Trust has championed other initiatives since its inception, including a statue in tribute to poet Al Purdy,[10] participation in international poetry festivals, and donations of poetry books to various organizations, including the Correctional Service of Canada, Scottish Poetry Library, Slave Lake Public Library (which was destroyed in a wildfire in 2011) and other libraries, schools and colleges.[11]
Griffin Poetry Prize officials announced in 2022 that the Canadian and international awards would be consolidated into a single award of CAD$130,000.[12] Founder Scott Griffin, who originally believed that Canadian poets needed a separate category, said that "now that a lot of Canadians have been recognized in the poetry world, we felt it was time they had to compete on the international stage with everybody else". An award of CAD$10,000 for a debut work of Canadian poetry was also announced.[2]
Finalists, judges and Lifetime Recognition recipients
Winners are listed first and highlighted with bold.
2001
Canada:
- Anne Carson, Men in the Off Hours[13]
- Robert Bringhurst, Nine Visits to the Mythworld
- Don McKay, Another Gravity
International:
- Nikolai Popov and Heather McHugh, translation of Glottal Stop: 101 Poems from the German written by Paul Celan[14]
- Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld, translation of Open Closed Open from the Hebrew written by Yehuda Amichai
- Fanny Howe, Selected Poems
- Les Murray, Learning Human
Judges:
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Gord Downie
2002
Canada:
- Christian Bök, Eunoia[15]
- Erín Moure, Sheep's Vigil by a Fervent Person
- Karen Solie, Short Haul Engine
International:
- Alice Notley, Disobedience
- Victor Hernández Cruz, Maraca
- Christopher Logue, Homer: War Music
- Les Murray, Conscious and Verbal
Judges:
Guest host at awards ceremony: Albert Schultz
2003
Canada:
- Margaret Avison, Concrete and Wild Carrot
- Dionne Brand, thirsty
- P. K. Page, Planet Earth: Poems Selected and New
International:
- Paul Muldoon, Moy Sand and Gravel
- Kathleen Jamie, Mr And Mrs Scotland are Dead: Poems 1980–1994
- Gerald Stern, American Sonnets: poems
- C. D. Wright, Steal Away: selected and new poems
Judges:
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: Heather McHugh
2004
Canada:
- Anne Simpson, Loop
- Di Brandt, Now You Care
- Leslie Greentree, go-go dancing for Elvis
International:
- August Kleinzahler, The Strange Hours Travelers Keep
- Suji Kwock Kim, Notes From the Divided Country
- David Kirby, The Ha-Ha
- Louis Simpson, The Owner of the House
Judges:
2005
Canada:
- Roo Borson, Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida
- George Bowering, Changing on the Fly
- Don McKay, Camber
International:
- Charles Simic, Selected Poems: 1963–2003
- Fanny Howe, On the Ground
- Michael Symmons Roberts, Corpus
- Matthew Rohrer, A Green Light
Judges:
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: August Kleinzahler
2006
Canada:
- Sylvia Legris, Nerve Squall
- Phil Hall, An Oak Hunch
- Erín Moure, Little theatres
International:
- Kamau Brathwaite, Born to Slow Horses
- Michael Hofmann, translation of Ashes for Breakfast: Selected Poems from the German written by Durs Grünbein
- Michael Palmer, Company of Moths
- Elizabeth Winslow, translation of The War Works Hard by Dunya Mikhail
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Robin Blaser
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: Simon Armitage
2007
Canada:
- Don McKay, Strike/Slip
- Ken Babstock, Airstream Land Yacht
- Priscila Uppal, Ontological Necessities
International:
- Charles Wright, Scar Tissue
- Paul Farley, Tramp in Flames
- Rodney Jones, Salvation Blues
- Frederick Seidel, Ooga-Booga
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Tomas Tranströmer
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: Matthew Rohrer
2008
Canada:
- Robin Blaser, The Holy Forest: Collected Poems of Robin Blaser[16]
- Robert Majzels and Erín Moure, translation of Notebook of Roses and Civilization from the French written by Nicole Brossard
- David McFadden, Why Are You So Sad? Selected Poems of David W. McFadden
International:
- John Ashbery, Notes from the Air: Selected Later Poems
- Elaine Equi, Ripple Effect: New and Selected Poems
- Clayton Eshleman, translation of The Complete Poetry: A Bilingual Edition from the Spanish written by Cesar Vallejo
- David Harsent, Selected Poems 1969–2005
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Ko Un[17]
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: Paul Farley
2009
Canada:
- A. F. Moritz, The Sentinel
- Kevin Connolly, Revolver
- Jeramy Dodds, Crabwise to the Hounds
International:
- C.D. Wright, Rising, Falling, Hovering
- Mick Imlah, The Lost Leader
- Derek Mahon, Life on Earth
- Dean Young, Primitive Mentor
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: James Wood
2010
Canada:
- Karen Solie, Pigeon
- Kate Hall, The Certainty Dream
- P. K. Page, Coal and Roses
International:
- Eilean Ni Chuilleanain, The Sun-fish
- John Glenday, Grain
- Louise Gluck, A Village Life
- Susan Wicks, translation of Cold Spring in Winter from the French written by Valérie Rouzeau
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Adrienne Rich
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: Glyn Maxwell
2011
Canada:
- Dionne Brand, Ossuaries
- Suzanne Buffam, The Irrationalist
- John Steffler, Lookout
International:
- Gjertrud Schnackenberg, Heavenly Questions
- Seamus Heaney, Human Chain
- Khaled Mattawa, translation of Adonis: Selected Poems from the Arabic written by Adonis
- Philip Mosley, translation of The Book of the Snow from the French written by Francois Jacqmin
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Yves Bonnefoy
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Jonathan Welstead, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
2012
Canada:
- Ken Babstock, Methodist Hatchet
- Phil Hall, Killdeer
- Jan Zwicky, Forge
International:
- David Harsent, Night
- Yusef Komunyakaa, The Chameleon Couch
- Sean O'Brien, November
- Joanna Trzeciak, translation from Polish of Sobbing Superpower: Selected Poems of Tadeusz Rózewicz
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Seamus Heaney
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Alexander Gagliano, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
2013
Canada:
- David McFadden, What's the Score?
- James Pollock, Sailing to Babylon
- Ian Williams, Personals
International:
- Fady Joudah, translation of The Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems from the Arabic written by Ghassan Zaqtan
- Jennifer Maiden, Liquid Nitrogen
- Alan Shapiro, Night of the Republic
- Brenda Shaughnessy, Our Andromeda
Judges:
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Kyla Kane, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: Pura López Colomé
2014
Canada:
- Anne Carson, Red Doc>
- Susan Goyette, Ocean
- Anne Michaels, Correspondences
International:
- Brenda Hillman, Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire
- Rachael Boast, Pilgrim's Flower
- Carl Phillips, Silverchest
- Mira Rosenthal, translation of Colonies from the Polish written by Tomasz Rozycki
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Adelia Prado
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Khalil Mair, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: August Kleinzahler
2015
Canada:
- Jane Munro, Blue Sonoma
- Shane Book, Congotronic
- Russell Thornton, The Hundred Lives
International:
- Michael Longley, The Stairwell
- Eleanor Goodman, translation of Something Crosses My Mind from the Chinese written by Wang Xiaoni
- Marek Kazmierski, translation of Finite Formulae & Theories of Chance from the Polish written by Wioletta Greg
- Spencer Reece, The Road to Emmaus
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Derek Walcott
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Ayo Akinfenwa, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
2016
Canada:
- Liz Howard, Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent[18]
- Per Brask and Patrick Friesen, translation of Frayed Opus for Strings & Wind Instruments from the Danish written by Ulrikka S. Gernes
- Soraya Peerbaye, Tell: poems for a girlhood
International:
- Norman Dubie, The Quotations of Bone[18]
- Joy Harjo, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings
- Don Paterson, 40 Sonnets
- Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Heaven
Judges:[18]
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Adam Zagajewski.[18]
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Marie Foolchand, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
2017
Canada:
- Jordan Abel, Injun [19]
- Hoa Nguyen, Violet Energy Ingots
- Sandra Ridley, Silvija
International:
- Alice Oswald, Falling Awake [19]
- Jane Mead, World of Made and Unmade
- Donald Nicholson-Smith, translation of In Praise of Defeat from the French written by Abdellatif Laabi
- Denise Riley, Say Something Back
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (presented by the Griffin trustees) to Frank Bidart.[20]
Guest performer at awards ceremony: David White, National Poetry In Voice recitation finalist
2018
Canada:
- Billy-Ray Belcourt, This Wound is a World
- Aisha Sasha John, I have to live.
- Donato Mancini, Same Diff
International:
- Susan Howe, Debths
- Tongo Eisen-Martin, Heaven is All Goodbyes
- Layli Long Soldier, Whereas
- Natalie Shapero, Hard Child
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (announced by the Griffin trustees) to Ana Blandiana.[21]
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Hamish Marissen-Clark, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
Guest speaker at awards ceremony: August Kleinzahler, 2004 Griffin Poetry Prize winner
2019
Canada:
- Eve Joseph, Quarrels
- Dionne Brand, The Blue Clerk
- Sarah Tolmie, The Art of Dying
International:
- Don Mee Choi, translation of Autobiography of Death from the Korean written by Kim Hyesoon
- Raymond Antrobus, The Perseverance
- Daniel Borzutzky, Lake Michigan
- Ani Gjika, translation of Negative Space from the Albanian written by Luljeta Lleshanaku
Judges:
Lifetime Recognition Award (announced by the Griffin trustees) to Nicole Brossard.[22]
Guest performer at awards ceremony: Catricia Hiebert, National Poetry In Voice recitation champion
2020
Canada:
- Kaie Kellough, Magnetic Equator
- Chantal Gibson, How She Read
- Doyali Islam, heft
International:
- Sarah Riggs, translation of Time from the French written by Etel Adnan
- Abigail Chabitnoy, How to Dress a Fish
- Sharon Olds, Arias
- Natalie Scenters-Zapico, Lima :: Limón
Judges:
2021
Canada:
- Canisia Lubrin, The Dyzgraphxst[23]
- Joseph A. Dandurand, The East Side of It All
- Yusuf Saadi, Pluviophile
International:
- Valzhyna Mort, Music for the Dead and Resurrected[23]
- Victoria Chang, Obit
- Srikanth Reddy, Underworld Lit
- Yi Lei (Tracy K. Smith and Changtai Bi, translators), My Name Will Grow Wide Like a Tree
Judges:
2022
Canada:
Tolu Oloruntoba, The Junta of Happenstance[24]- David Bradford, Dream of No One But Myself
- Liz Howard, Letters in a Bruised Cosmos
International:
- Douglas Kearney, Sho[24]
- Gemma Gorga, Late to the House of Words (tr. Sharon Dolin)
- Natalka Bilotserkivets, Eccentric Days of Hope and Sorrow (tr. Ali Kinsella and Dzvinia Orlowsky)
- Ed Roberson, Asked What Has Changed
Judges:
See also
References
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- ↑ Literary luminaries attend unveiling of statue of 'people's poet' Al Purdy (May 21, 2008) – The Canadian Press
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ "Anne Carson wins poetry prize", CBC News, 8 June 2001.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ "Another prize for B.C. poet Robin Blaser, and some advice",Vancouver Sun, 6 June 2008.
- ↑ "Robin Blaser and Ko Un Win Griffin Poetry Prizes!", University of California Press blog, 5 June 2008.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Adina Bresge, "Canisia Lubrin named Canadian winner of $65K Griffin Poetry Prize". CP24, June 23, 2021.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Adina Bresge, "B.C. writer Tolu Oloruntoba wins $65K Griffin Poetry Prize for debut book". Toronto Star, June 15, 2022.
