Griffin Poetry Prize

Save the date! On September 11, past Griffin Poetry Prize winner Dionne Brand will discuss her new work, 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙖𝙜𝙚, at the Toronto Public Library—her first book of non-fiction since the release of her groundbreaking 𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙤 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 over twenty years ago.

📅 Details on our :

Salon Series: Dionne Brand - Griffin Poetry Prize Award winning author of 23 books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, Dionne Brand, joins us to discuss her new novel, Salvage – her first work of non-fiction since the release of her groundbreaking A Map to the Door of No Return over twenty years ago. In Salvage, Brand interrogates the colonial, r...

to two poetry legends meeting: American poet Charles Wright and Canadian poet Don McKay.

This snapshot captures them at the 2007 Griffin Poetry Prize awards ceremony, where both took home awards—Don McKay for 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙚/𝙎𝙡𝙞𝙥 and Charles Wright for 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧 𝙏𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚..

🔍 Look closer! Are there any other writers you recognize in this photo?

📸 Photo credit: Tom Sandler

"Brilliance is what you reach for, language that has a life of its own, seriousness of subject matter beyond the momentary gasp and glitter, a willingness to take on what’s difficult and beautiful, a willingness to be different and abstract, a willingness to put on the hair shirt and go into the desert and sit still, and listen hard, and write it down, and tell no one.”

Our comes from Charles Wright’s 1989 interview in The Paris Review for the Art of Poetry series.

In a fast-paced world often focused on instant gratification, how do you maintain the "seriousness of subject matter beyond the momentary gasp and glitter"?

📸Charles Wright by Tom Sandler, 2007 Griffin Poetry Prize Awards Ceremony

You can read the full interview here: https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/2369/the-art-of-poetry-no-41-charles-wright

"Let go, live your life, / the grave has no sunny corners—"

Read the full by Charles Wright, excerpted from his 2007 Griffin Poetry Prize-winning collection, 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧 𝙏𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), on our website: https://buff.ly/46SkTnW

Of the collection, the judges said, "What makes his poems memorable is his seemingly inexhaustible ability to see things with new eyes. In 𝙎𝙘𝙖r 𝙏𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚, as in his other books, he is a poet of great originality and beauty."

How does this poem resonate with you? What is your favourite collection by Charles Wright?

✨ Save the date! Next week, Homero Aridjis will be in conversation with Pádraig Ó Tuama!

⏰ Watch the live premiere of this exclusive interview on Tuesday August 27, at 1:00pm ET on our YouTube channel.

✍️ Homero Aridjis was born in Contepec, Michoacán, Mexico. He has written fifty-one books of poetry and prose and has won many important literary prizes. Formerly Mexico’s ambassador to Switzerland, the Netherlands, and UNESCO, he is also the President Emeritus of PEN International and the founder and president of the Group of 100, an environmentalist association of artists and scientists. Homero Aridjis’ collection, 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙕𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 (New Directions), translated by George McWhirter, won the 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize.

🎤Pádraig Ó Tuama is the host of The On Being Project podcast Poetry Unbound and the author of 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙; 𝟱𝟬 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. He is a poet with interests in language, violence, power and religion. 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 is his most recent collection with 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙮𝙢𝙣𝙨, a volume of original poems, and an essayed poetry anthology 𝟰𝟬 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧; 𝘼 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 both forthcoming early 2025.

📸 Homero Aridjis - Betty Aridjis
📸 Pádraig Ó Tuama - David Pugh

When a winner suggests must-read books, you know they're worth it! Even better, these poets all honed their craft with George McWhirter in UBC School of Creative Writing workshops and MFA theses—read his thoughts below!

📚 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨 by Stephanie Bolster (Véhicule Press)

📚 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙅𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙐𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙊𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙖 by Roo Borson (McClelland & Stewart)

📚 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘼𝙨 𝙄𝙨 𝙉𝙚𝙬 & 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨 by Joseph Hutchinson (NYQ Books)

📚 𝙊.𝘽.𝘽. 𝙖.𝙠.𝙖. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝘽𝙤𝙮 by Paolo Javier (Nightboat Books)

📚 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙠 by Jane Munro (Harbour Publishing)

George McWhirter shares, "I don't like the term 'student.' I always treated the poets I worked with as fellow poets. I learned as much from them as they did from me—perhaps more. I had to learn what made their style individual and adapt all my suggestions for readings or improvements to that. Very often, none were needed. So, I challenge readers to enjoy and learn as much about poetry from these books as I have from their authors."

Have you read these titles? Fun fact: two of these authors are Griffin winners! Can you guess which ones? 🌟

Find links to these books in the comments! Learn more about The Sealey Challenge: https://buff.ly/4ftPRGD

to this bilingual reading of "Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence," read beautifully in Spanish by Homero Aridjis, followed by George McWhirter's English translation.

Homero Aridjis and George McWhirter read "Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence" Enjoy this bilingual poetry reading of “Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence," in the original Spanish by Homero Aridjis, and the English translation by Geor...

We reached out to George McWhirter for his advice to emerging poet-translators, and he responded:

“As young translators, you will approach a piece by a foreign language author with developing skills, styles, and visions of your own. However, you should subject these to reproducing and acquiring those of the author you are translating. By doing so, you will expand the range and flexibility of your craft as a writer, allowing you to manage differing subjects in your own ways. An added benefit of translation is that if inspiration in your own work falters, you can turn to translation to keep your writing tuned up, ready for when that inspiration returns with something you have never tackled before.”

Has translation inspired and enriched your own creative writing practice?

🎙️ We're live!

Tune in for an in-depth conversation between two brilliant voices from Northern Ireland!

Speaking with Pádraig Ó Tuama, George McWhirter describes the post-WWII Belfast of his youth, traces his “self-translations” from Northern Ireland to Spain to Canada, and offers valuable insights drawn from decades of experience as a poet, translator, and educator.

George McWhirter also explores the deep connections he shares with Homero Aridjis, a poet he has been translating for decades, and whose latest collection, 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙕𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 (New Directions Publishing), earned them the 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize.

📸 George McWhirter - Mark Van Mannen
📸 Pádraig Ó Tuama - David Pugh

George McWhirter interviewed by Pádraig Ó Tuama Tune in for an in-depth conversation between two brilliant voices from Northern Ireland!Speaking with Pádraig Ó Tuama, George McWhirter describes the post-WW...

"Surrounded by light and the warbling of birds,
I live in a state of poetry,
because for me, being and making poetry are the same."

Suddenly, it's mid-August and we hope you are surrounded by light, birds, and poetry. 🔆 🦜📚

These beautiful lines—originally written in Spanish by Mexican poet Homero Aridjis and translated by his wife, Betty Ferber, and George McWhirter—are excerpted from 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙕𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 (New Directions Publishing). Please visit our website to read the full poem: https://buff.ly/3WAsS4g

Chosen from 592 poetry collections, this book was awarded the 2024 , with the judges commending it for "speaking with us plainly and yet from kinship with a light that bathes, and springs from, each thing."

🎬 Don't forget to tune in tomorrow to our YouTube channel to hear an exclusive interview with Homero Aridjis' translator, the Irish-Canadian poet George McWhirter, who will speak with Pádraig Ó Tuama at 1:00pm ET.

⏰ Set yourself a reminder directly on YouTube: https://buff.ly/3yDGLXn

✨Don’t miss the amazing chance to hear 2024 winner George McWhirter in conversation with Pádraig Ó Tuama!

⏰You can watch the live premiere of this exclusive interview on Tuesday August 13, at 1:00pm ET on our YouTube channel.

✍️George McWhirter is an Irish-Canadian writer, translator, editor, teacher, and Vancouver’s first Poet Laureate. His translation of Homero Aridjis’ 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙕𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 (New Directions) won the 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize. His first book of poetry, 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨, was a joint winner of the first Commonwealth Poetry Prize. McWhirter was a professor in the University of British Columbia’s UBC School of Creative Writing) until his retirement in 2005. He currently writes full-time and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

🎤Pádraig Ó Tuama is the host of the popular podcast Poetry Unbound and the author of 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙; 𝟱𝟬 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. He is a poet with interests in language, violence, power and religion. 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 is his most recent collection with 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙮𝙢𝙣𝙨, a volume of original poems, and an essayed poetry anthology 𝟰𝟬 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧; 𝘼 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 both forthcoming early 2025.

📸 George McWhirter - Mark Van Mannen
📸 Pádraig Ó Tuama - David Pugh

✨ A once-in-a-generation poetry opportunity! ✨

This October, Nikki Giovanni and Fred Moten will bring their genius to Florida State University for two days of musing about the future of Black artistic expression and activism, including:

🎤 A lecture by Moten
🎬 A screening of the Sundance-winning Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project at the Challenger Planetarium
💬 A conversation between these luminaries about their work in poetics, film, theory, music, and other art forms inside academe and around the globe over the past six decades

It's worth traveling to Florida for this event! Check out all the details on our , and please share!

Going to Mars with Nikki Giovanni & Fred Moten - Griffin Poetry Prize The ‘Princess of Black Poetry’ Nikki Giovanni and MacArthur Foundation Fellow Fred Moten will bring their genius to Tallahassee for two days of musing about the future of Black artistic expression and activism, including a talk from Moten, a screening of the Sundance-winning GOING TO MARS: THE N...

“Don’s ability to approach a poem on its own terms, to see the potential in it, and to express that potential is one that I think many people in this room have benefited from.”

Watch Griffin Trustee Karen Solie’s full tribute to our 2024 Lifetime Recognition Award recipient, Don McKay, on our YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/5hs_Q97EdTg?si=MU-vu1Bjf9aEWZLN

Have you benefited from Don McKay's teachings? Share a story or memory below.

Karen Solie Pays Tribute to Don McKay "Don’s ability to approach a poem on its own terms, to see the potential in it, and to express that potential is one that I think many people in this room ha...

When we asked Fred Moten what advice he would give emerging poets, this is what he said:

“Writing is reading with a pencil in your hand. Fill the margins of books and all but obsessively revise the marginalia. Try to make it sound like something. Try to care a little bit more about how it sounds than what it means, so that what it means can be a little bit closer to what you feel. Don’t worry about it.”

Do you focus more on the sound or the meaning of your poetry when revising? How does this impact the final piece?

Share your own approach in the comments!

Listen to Fred Moten perform "the abolition of art, the abolition of freedom, the abolition of you and me" on the jazz album 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣/𝙇𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙯/𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧, in collaboration with bassist Brandon López and drummer Gerald Cleaver: https://buff.ly/3WzJKIw

To read the poem, please visit our website: https://buff.ly/3WSYkvK

www.youtube.com

"art don’t work / for abolition. / art works for / bosses, like you / and me."

This week, we're highlighting an extraordinary poem from Fred Moten's longlisted book, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 (Wave Poetry).

To read "the abolition of art, the abolition of freedom, the abolition of you and me," please visit our website: https://buff.ly/3WSYkvK

This meditative poem on art-making references several Black writers, scholars, and musicians, including Ruth Wilson Gilmore, June Jordan, Sylvia Wynter, Missy Elliott, Prince, and Bob Marley.

Fred Moten is a professor in the departments of Performance Studies and Comparative Literature at New York University. He is concerned with social movement, aesthetic experiment, and Black Study and has written a number of books of poetry and criticism, and engaged in many collaborative projects that try to explore those themes.

What questions or reflections do you have after reading Fred Moten’s work? How do you interpret the concept of "the abolition of art"?

Happy August! The Sealey Challenge is underway, and we asked Maggie Burton, our Canadian First Book Prize winner, for poetry recommendations to add to your reading list.

Maggie curated a list of "five books that transcend the human form":

📚 Water/Wept by Daze Jefferies (Anstruther Press)

📚 Midday at the Super-Kamiokande by Matthew Tierney (Coach House Books)

📚 In the Old Country of My Heart by Agnes Walsh (Killick Press)

📚 I Wanted to be the Knife by Sara Sutterlin (Metatron Press)

📚 I dreamed I was an afterthought by Allie Duff (Guernica Editions)

"Lately, I have been thinking about embodiment, about what it means for me to really inhabit my own body, or not. I find myself returning to these five books by Canadian poets that I feel transcend the human form and locate something otherworldly in our existence, whether it’s by seeing ourselves at a quantum level, by becoming an octopus or a knife, by making 'a womanish promise,' or through a lover’s touch."
—Maggie Burton

We've linked to the books in the comments. Discover more about The Sealey Challenge: https://buff.ly/4ftPRGD

Maggie Burton, this year’s Canadian First Book Prize winner, and Pádraig Ó Tuama had an engaging conversation earlier this week. Have you listened yet?

In it, the author shares insight into the motivations behind her debut book, Chores (Breakwater Books Ltd.) She speaks about the importance of paying homage to the women in her life and discusses how her work as a politician, poet, and musician intersect.

“I really want people to see themselves in, especially for Newfoundland women, to see themselves in my work . . . I wanted to really highlight the importance of freedom and give people hope who were, perhaps stuck in relationships, or in situations in general that were oppressive and problematic.”

What was your favourite part of the interview? Share it with us in the comments!

Maggie Burton interviewed by Pádraig Ó Tuama "I try to use as many Newfoundland sayings and turns of phrase that I can that evoke a sense of place through the voice. But I also try to be direct and acce...

We asked Maggie Burton, the 2024 Canadian First Book Prize winner, what writing advice she has for poets. This is what she shared:

“Some of the best help I received while editing Chores came from poet friends who didn’t even really like the content of my book. Because they had given up on trying to relate to the content, they focused on highlighting aspects of my writing that I would have otherwise missed.”

Who do you seek out feedback from?

How has feedback from different perspectives improved your writing?

To listen to Maggie Burton discuss her debut prize-winning collection, visit our YouTube channel for her conversation with Pádraig Ó Tuama, host of the popular podcast, Poetry Unbound.

https://buff.ly/3WuyuwJ

Join us in congratulating Canadian poet and past finalist, Anne Michaels, on being longlisted for the for her novel, Held!

The judges praised the "kaleidoscopic novel about war, trauma, science, faith and, above all, love and human connection," and said "reading it seems to alter your state of mind."

Discover the full longlist and purchase Held: https://thebookerprizes.com/

Held spans four generations, seeing moments of connection and consequence ignite and re-ignite as the century unfolds.

Congratulations to Anne Michaels on being longlisted for the .

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/held

Bloomsbury Publishing UK

🎙️✨We're live! Don't miss this interview with our 2024 Canadian First Book Prize winner, Maggie Burton, and Pádraig Ó Tuama.

Maggie Burton interviewed by Pádraig Ó Tuama Join us for an illuminating conversation between Newfoundland poet Maggie Burton—winner of the 2024 Canadian First Book Prize—and Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama,...

Join us for an illuminating conversation between Newfoundland poet Maggie Burton—winner of the 2024 Canadian First Book Prize—and Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama, host of the popular On Being podcast, Poetry Unbound.

✨Set yourself a reminder to watch the live premiere of this exclusive interview tomorrow, Tuesday July 30, at 1:00pm ET on our YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/3ykXjTT

Maggie Burton is a multi-genre writer, professional violinist, and municipal politician, serving her second term as Councillor at Large for the City of St. John’s. She was awarded the Riddle Fence poetry prize prior to releasing her debut book of poetry, Chores (Breakwater Books, 2023), which was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and won the 2024 Griffin Canadian First Book Prize. Discover more about Maggie on our website: https://buff.ly/4bBOrrn

Pádraig Ó Tuama is the host of On Being’s Poetry Unbound and the author of Poetry Unbound; 50 Poems to Open Your World. He is a poet with interests in language, violence, power and religion. Feed the Beast is his most recent collection with Kitchen Hymns, a volume of original poems, and an essayed poetry anthology 40 Poems on Being with Each Other; A Poetry Unbound Collection both forthcoming early 2025. Discover more about Pádraig Ó Tuama: https://buff.ly/3LIln6g

Photo credits:
Maggie Burton - Kelly Hines
Pádraig Ó Tuama - David Pugh

“This poem is called ‘The Midwife’ and it’s based on a true story about a cousin of mine who almost ended up in the harbour.”

Maggie Burton delighted the audience at the Griffin Poetry Prize Readings in June, sharing personal stories and reading from her book, Chores—the collection that earned her the 2024 Canadian First Book Prize.

Read the full on our website:
https://buff.ly/3ydl3tb

It’s that time of year again! To enrich your reading list for The Sealey Challenge this August, we are highlighting ✨ NEW✨ books of poetry by past winners.

The Sealey Challenge, created by poet Nicole Sealey, is a community challenge to read one book of poetry a day for the month of August. What poetry books are on your reading list? Share your selections with us in the comments below!

Here are 5 poetry collections released in 2024 by past Canadian and International winners:

📚Wrong Norma by Anne Carson (New Directions Publishing)
https://buff.ly/3Wl04fT

📚 […] by Fady Joudah (Milkweed Editions)
https://buff.ly/4dkObh2

📚The Principle of Rapid Peering by Sylvia Legris (New Directions)
https://buff.ly/3zXbtey

📚Joy in Service on Rue Tagore by Paul Muldoon (Faber & Faber)
https://buff.ly/3zXbtv4

📚 Being Reflected Upon by Alice Notley (Penguin Books)
https://buff.ly/3Ylzs0P

Stay tuned for more suggestions!

The Prairie Grindstone Prize is a $50,000 prize awarded yearly to a Canadian prairie writer, given in recognition of a body of work.

This year, past winner Sylvia Legris was awarded the prize. Congratulations, Sylvia!

Join Sylvia Legris and Sherri Benning for a celebratory reading and discussion of Sylvia's poetry. followed by a Q&A and signing in Saskatoon on August 15. Details on our .

A Celebratory Evening with Sylvia Legris - Griffin Poetry Prize Join Sylvia Legris, recipient of the 2024/2025 Prairie Grindstone Prize, and special guest Sherri Benning for a celebratory reading and discussion of Sylvia’s poetry. followed by a Q&A (time permitting) and signing. This event will be held in person in the Travel Alcove. Sylvia Legris’s most rec...

in 1928, Joyce Mansour was born. To celebrate her life, we are sharing this recent interview in CairoScene with Emilie Moorhouse, translator of Emerald Wounds: Selected Poems of Joyce Mansour.

Asked about the relevance of Mansour’s work in the modern day, Moorhouse says, “I was struck with the freedom with which Mansour expresses herself. She is not trying to please, on the contrary, she is speaking her truth, without worrying about how uncomfortable it might make people . . . Hers was the kind of voice that had traditionally been dismissed, ignored, or downplayed as unimportant, too strange, or weird.”

CairoScene is the first Egyptian publication to write about Emerald Wounds: Selected Poems of Joyce Mansour (City Lights Publishers), longlisted for the 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize.

The Life & Works of Surrealist Egyptian Poet Joyce Mansour Focusing on themes of displacement, femininity, and desire, Joyce Mansour was described as “the most important writer in the Surrealist Movement.”

“Translation requires re-inhabiting the original process of creation. It asks for an intimate reading, as though one is slipping on a piece of clothing the author might have worn. Mansour's poetry is both a challenge and a pleasure to translate. Her words are heavy with emotion as she tests us with constant provocations and inversions of traditional narratives and beliefs.”

This week’s writing tip is excerpted from Emilie Moorhouse’s introduction to Emerald Wounds: Selected Poems of Joyce Mansour (City Lights Publishers), which was longlisted for this year’s Griffin Poetry Prize.

Emilie Moorhouse holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia. Raised in a French-speaking household in Toronto, she now lives in Montreal, where she works as a teacher, writer, translator, and environmentalist.

What’s your translation metaphor? Does “slipping on a piece of clothing the author might have worn” resonate with you?

"A woman created the sun / Inside her"

At the peak of a hot and surrealist summer, we revisit this poem from the 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize-longlisted collection, Emerald Wounds: Selected Poems of Joyce Mansour, translated by Emilie Moorhouse.

"Mansour, ‘an animal of the night,’ has been waiting to be reclaimed and counted," writes Anne Waldman. "Transgressive delight and terror of the supreme surreal feminist in this remarkable and most original book of dreams."

Joyce Mansour was an Egyptian-French author and part of the inner circle of postwar Surrealists. She wrote 16 books of poetry, as well as prose works and plays.

Have you read this collection, translated by Canadian poet Emilie Moorhouse? Let us know in the comments!

Read this poem and more on our website: https://buff.ly/3LyF9RK

“What does it mean to translate time into art?”

Don McKay, this year’s Lifetime Recognition Award recipient, and Pádraig Ó Tuama had a fascinating conversation earlier this week. Have you listened to it yet?

In it, they discuss translation beyond human languages: translating rivers, time, rock, referencing a section in McKay’s latest poetry collection Lurch (“Selected Problems in Translation”).

“It all is translation. These phenomena have vibrant, astonishing realities in and of themselves, which language is trying to reach through these poetic means," McKay said.

What was your favourite part of the interview? Share it with us in the comments!

Don McKay interviewed by Pádraig Ó Tuama Join us for a lively and inspiring conversation between Canadian poet Don McKay—recently honoured with our 2024 Lifetime Recognition Award—and Irish poet Pád...