No Canadian finalists make Griffin Poetry Prize short list for first time

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This article was published 23/04/2025 (350 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – No Canadians are in the running for the Griffin Poetry Prize for the first time in the literary award’s 25-year history.

The short list announced Wednesday consists of five collections written by American, European and Cuban poets and translators, meaning there’s no chance of a homegrown winner for the $130,000 prize.

The Griffin was originally separated into categories — one for Canadian talent and another for international contenders — but in 2023 the organization merged the two awards into a single prize open to all poets.

This year, two American poets are competing with their collections: Carl Phillips for “Scattered Snows, to the North,” and Diane Seuss with “Modern Poetry.”

The other three collections nominated are translations, including “The Great Zoo,” translated by American poet Aaron Coleman from Cuban writer Nicolas Guillen’s original Spanish.

There’s also “Kiss the Eyes of Peace,” translated by Brian Henry, who is from the United States, from the original Slovenian by Tomaž Šalamun; and British poet Karen Leeder’s translation of Durs Grünbein’s collection “Psyche Running,” which was originally written in German.

If a translated collection wins, the translator will receive 60 per cent of the prize money, while the original poet receives 40 per cent.

The winner will be announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Readings at Koerner Hall in Toronto on June 4.

The Griffin was met with some criticism when prize benefactor Scott Griffin announced in 2022 that he would combine the two categories, but he defended the decision by saying Canadian poets could compete on a global stage.

Griffin reiterated that position in an interview Wednesday.

“It’s true the Canadian who was on the long list did not make the cut. This is going to happen every now and then because Canadians are on deck with every other country that’s producing poetry,” Griffin said.

Dale Martin Smith, a writer and professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, was longlisted for his work “The Size of Paradise.”

Even though there are no Canadians in the running for the poetry prize, Griffin said there will still be Canadian talent recognized at this year’s awards ceremony.

The Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award will be going to a Canadian writer this year, Griffin said, and the prize is introducing an emerging poet award that will always go to a Canadian. They’re expected to be announced next month.

Griffin also says the awards ceremony will also feature a reading from a Canadian poet.

Two Canadians were shortlisted in 2023, and British Columbia-based translator George McWhirter took home last year’s award with Mexican poet Homero Aridjis for the translated collection “Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.