TORONTO – April 10, 2012 – Scott Griffin, founder of The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry and David Young, trustee, announced the International and Canadian shortlist for this year’s prize. Judges Heather McHugh (USA), David O’Meara (Canada) and Fiona Sampson (England) each read 481 books of poetry, from 37 countries, including 19 translations.
The seven finalists – four International and three Canadian – will be invited to read in Toronto at Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory in the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto on Wednesday, June 6th. The seven finalists will each be awarded $10,000 for their participation in the Shortlist Readings.
The winners, announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards evening on Thursday, June 7th, will each be awarded $65,000.
International Shortlist
Night • David Harsent
Faber and Faber
The Chameleon Couch • Yusef Komunyakaa
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
November • Sean O’Brien
Picador
Sobbing Superpower: Selected Poems of Tadeusz Różewicz
• Joanna Trzeciak, translated from the Polish
written by Tadeusz Różewicz
W.W. Norton & Company
Canadian Shortlist
Methodist Hatchet • Ken Babstock
House of Anansi Press
Killdeer • Phil Hall
BookThug
Forge • Jan Zwicky
Gaspereau Press
Each year, The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry presents an anthology of poems selected from the shortlisted books, published by House of Anansi Press. Royalties from The Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology are donated to UNESCO’s World Poetry Day. Copies of submitted poetry books will be donated to the Slave Lake Public Library, Slave Lake, Alberta.
Tickets for the Shortlist Readings to be held on Wednesday, June 6th, at Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory in the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto are available at http://performance.rcmusic.ca or by calling 416 408 0208.
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Note: The publishers mentioned in our release are those who submitted the books.
Note to booksellers: Griffin Poetry Prize posters and stickers are supplied free of charge by The Griffin Trust. Contact info@griffinpoetryprize.com to inquire about ordering these items. Winner stickers will be available after June 7th.
Please direct other inquiries as follows:
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Media Contacts:
June Dickenson |
General Inquiries:
Ruth Smith, Manager |
Shortlisted Publishers’ Web sites:
BookThug
www.bookthug.ca
Faber and Faber
www.faber.co.uk
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
www.fsgbooks.com
Gaspereau Press
www.gaspereau.com
House of Anansi Press
www.anansi.ca
W.W. Norton & Company
www.wwnorton.com
Picador
www.picador.com
Shortlist summary, poet bios and citations
Download press release, poet bios and citations | Download photos
Purchase 2012 Griffin Prize Anthology and shortlist books online