$50,000 Montreal International Poetry Prize update
9 December 2011

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


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