So how are the
organizers of the $50,000 Montreal International Poetry Prize doing? You might
remember the announcement and my piece here on March 28, 2011
What has happened
since is the publication of a longlist of almost 150 poems in October. It would
have been 150 except that a few were disqualified as they had been published
previously. The names of all the poets on the longlist are on the site now, and
a Longlist e-Anthology published by Véhicule Press will be
made available shortly for free download.
A shortlist followed on
November 17. You can check out the 50 shortlisted poets, among whom are several
Canadians. Two poems per day from the shortlist are now appearing on the
prize site, along with MP3s of most of the poems in the poets' own voices.
The winning poem will
be announced Thursday, December 15, at 7 p.m. EST.
An as-yet-unnamed “prominent
US artist” has agreed to do a broadside of one of the shortlisted poems. That
announcement, too, on December 15. “This is all part of our hope to bring
attention to new poetry,” says prize director Len Epp.
© Linda Leith 2011