The Griffin Poetry Prize Announces the 2013 International and Canadian Shortlist

From our friends at the Griffin Poetry Prize:

Today, 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 Suzanne Buffam (Canada), Mark Doty (USA) and Wang Ping (China) each read 509 books of poetry from 40 countries, including 15 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 on Wednesday, June 12. You can purchase tickets to this event online or by calling 416-408-0208.

Each finalists will be awarded $10,000 for their participation in the Shortlist Readings. The winners, to be announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards evening on Thursday, June 13, will each be awarded $65,000.

International shortlist

Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems
Translated from the Arabic by Fady Joudah
Poet: Ghassan Zaqtan
(Yale University Press)

Liquid Nitrogen
Poet: Jennifer Maiden
(Giramondo Publishing)

Night of the Republic
Poet: Alan Shapiro
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Our Andromeda
Poet: Brenda Shaughnessy
(Copper Canyon Press)

Canadian shortlist

What's the Score?
Poet: David McFadden
(Mansfield Press)

Sailing to Babylon
Poet: James Pollock
(Able Muse Press)

Personals
Poet: Ian Williams
(Freehand Books)

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.