TORONTO – April 12, 2016 – Scott Griffin, founder of The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry is pleased to announce the International and Canadian shortlist for this year’s prize. Judges Alice Oswald (UK), Tracy K. Smith (USA) and Adam Sol (Canada) each read 633 books of poetry, from 43 countries, including 25 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 1st at 7.30 p.m. The seven finalists will each be awarded $10,000 for their participation in the Shortlist Readings.
The winners, to be announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards on Thursday, June 2nd, will each be awarded $65,000.
International Shortlist
The Quotations of Bone • Norman Dubie
Copper Canyon Press
Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings • Joy Harjo
W.W. Norton & Company
40 Sonnets • Don Paterson
Faber and Faber
Heaven • Rowan Ricardo Phillips
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Canadian Shortlist
Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent • Liz Howard
McClelland & Stewart
Tell: poems for a girlhood • Soraya Peerbaye
Pedlar 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.
Tickets for the Shortlist Readings to be held on Wednesday, June 1st, 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/event/2015-griffin-poetry-prize-shortlist-readings or by calling (416) 408-0208.
Note: The publishers mentioned in our release are those who submitted the books.
Note to booksellers: Griffin Poetry Prize book stickers are supplied free of charge by The Griffin Trust. Contact info@griffinpoetryprize.com to place an order. Winner book stickers will be available after June 2nd.
Please direct other inquiries as follows:
| Media Inquiries:Melissa Shirley Telephone: (647) 389-9510 publicity@griffinpoetryprize.com |
General Inquiries:Ruth Smith, Executive Director Telephone: (905) 618-0420 info@griffinpoetryprize.com |
Shortlisted Publishers’ Web sites:
Brick Books:
www.brickbooks.ca
Copper Canyon Press:
www.coppercanyonpress.org
Farrar, Straus and Giroux:
www.fsgbooks.com
Faber and Faber:
www.faber.co.uk
McClelland & Stewart:
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/imprints/mcclelland-stewart
W.W. Norton & Company:
www.wwnorton.com
Pedlar Press:
www.pedlarpress.com
Shortlist summary, poet bios and citations
Download press release, poet bios and citations | Download photos
Purchase 2016 Griffin Prize Anthology and shortlist books online