Books

Griffin Poetry Prize announces 2017 finalists

Three Canadians are in the running for the $65,000 prize, one of the most lucrative poetry awards in the world.
Jordan Abel, Hoa Nguyen and Sandra Ridley make up the Canadian shortlist. (Photo of Sandra Ridley by John W. MacDonald)

The Griffin Poetry Prize has announced the seven finalists that comprise the shortlists for their international and Canadian poetry prizes.

The prestigious award is one of the most lucrative poetry prizes in the world, awarding $65,000 to each of the two winners and $10,000 to each of the finalists. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on June 8, 2017.

Indie publishers scored all three spots on the Canadian shortlist this year, which is made up of books from Talonbooks, Wave Books and BookThug:

The international shortlist includes:

  • World of Made and Unmade by Jane Mead
  • In Praise of Defeat by Abdellatif Laâbi, translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith 
  • Falling Awake by Alice Oswald
  • Say Something Back by Denise Riley

The 2017 judging panel consists of Canadian poet Sue Goyette, American poet Joan Naviyuk Kane and British poet George Szirtes.

Liz Howard won the Canadian prize in 2016 for her collection Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent. Norman Dubie was awarded the International prize for The Quotations of Bone.