The C$80,000 Griffin Poetry Prize Announces Canadian and International Shortlist for 2003

TORONTO, March 27th, 2003 – The Griffin Poetry Prize shortlist for 2003 was announced today by Scott Griffin, Chairman of The Griffin Trust. The C$80,000 Griffin Poetry Prize is the most generous international poetry prize for a single volume of poetry, and is awarded annually for the two best books of poetry published in English the previous year anywhere in the world. The seven shortlisted nominees are divided into three Canadian and four International.

The shortlisted poets will be invited to give a reading in Toronto at a Harbourfront Reading Series Special event on June 11th and the two winners, who each receive C$40,000 will be announced at the third Griffin Poetry Prize awards on June 12th.

The judges for 2003 are the distinguished poets Michael Longley (Northern Ireland), Sharon Olds (U.S.) and Sharon Thesen (Canada).

The Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology, a selection of poems from the 2003 shortlisted books, edited by Sharon Thesen and published by Toronto’s House of Anansi Press, will be available in June.

Benefactor Scott Griffin launched The Griffin Prize in September, 2000 with the support of the Trustees Margaret Atwood, Robert Hass, Michael Ondaatje, Robin Robertson and David Young.

Based in Toronto, Canada, The Griffin Prize was created to serve and encourage excellence in poetry written in English anywhere in the world. Eligible collections of poetry, which includes translations, must be submitted by publishers in the calendar year of their publication.

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Note: The publishers mentioned in our release are those who submitted the books.

Note to booksellers: Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist bookmarks and stickers are supplied free of charge by The Griffin Trust. Click here to access our order form. Winner stickers will be available after June 12th.

Please direct other inquiries as follows:

General Inquiries Ruth Smith, Manager E-mail: info@griffinpoetryprize.com

Press and Publicity Prudence Emery, Publicity Director E-mail: press@griffinpoetryprize.com

Submitting Publishers’ Web sites:

Bloodaxe Books
http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/

Farrar, Straus & Giroux
http://www.fsgbooks.com/

W.W. Norton & Company
http://www.wwnorton.com/

Copper Canyon Press
http://www.coppercanyonpress.org/

Brick Books
http://www.brickbooks.ca/

McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
http://www.mcclelland.com/

The Porcupine’s Quill, Inc.
http://porcupinesquill.ca/

Shortlist summary, poet bios and citations

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Purchase 2003 Griffin Prize Anthology and shortlist books online

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