Republished April 13, 2016 - 8:40 AM
Original Publication Date April 12, 2016 - 8:05 AM
TORONTO - A collection of poems by Toronto author Soraya Peerbaye is among three Canadian titles shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize.
Peerbaye made the list of seven overall finalists for "Tell: poems for a girlhood" (Pedlar Press), which traces the events surrounding the 1997 murder of B.C. teen Reena Virk by a group of high school classmates.
Northern Ontario writer Liz Howard was recognized for "Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent" (McClelland & Stewart.)
Danish-born Canadian poet Per Brask and Steinbach, Man.-born, Victoria-based Patrick Friesen translated a collection of poems by Swedish-born Danish poet Ulrikka S. Gernes for "Frayed Opus for Strings & Wind Instruments" (Brick Books).
The finalists on the international short list are:
— "The Quotations of Bone" by Norman Dubie (Copper Canyon Press)
— "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings" by Joy Harjo (W. W. Norton & Company)
— "40 Sonnets" by Don Paterson (Faber and Faber)
— "Heaven" by Rowan Ricardo Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Judges Alice Oswald (U.K.) Tracy K. Smith (U.S.) and Adam Sol (Canada) selected the finalists from 633 books of poetry from 43 countries, including 25 translations.
The finalists will each be awarded $10,000 for their participation in the short-list readings, which will take place at Koerner Hall in Toronto on June 1.
The winners, one Canadian and one international, will awarded $65,000 each at a gala event on June 2.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated that Gernes was the translator.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016