The shortlists for the Griffin Poetry Prize were announced earlier today and some big names have made the cut. The Canadian list (which is the one I tend to pay the most attention to) goes as follows:
- Methodist Hatchet by Ken Babstock (House of Anansi Press)
- Killdeer by Phil Hall (BookThug)
- Forge by Jan Zwicky (Gaspereau Press)
There’s been a lot of raving about Babstock’s book in the last year. I’m a fan of his work, especially his first book Mean, though Airstream Land Yacht, which was nominated for the Griffin in 2007, is a fine book as well. Phil Hall’s Killdeer is another of note for its recent winning of the Governor General’s Award for Poetry last year. Jan Zwicky’s name is well known in poetry circles and while she has been honoured by other awards and nominations, this is her first time shortlisted for this particular award.
Good luck to each of the nominees this year. This is also a good opportunity for you to run out and buy the shortlisted books if you haven’t already.
