Useful Links

 

Useful links Try these sites for more inspiration.

 


 

The Griffin Trust was founded in April 2000 by Chairman Scott Griffin, along with Trustees Margaret Atwood, Robert Hass, Michael Ondaatje, Robin Robertson and David Young. In 2004 Carolyn Forché was named a Trustee and joined the list of internationally-acclaimed writers who sit on the board of the Griffin Trust. In 2014, Karen Solie,  and Mark Doty were named Trustees, and in 2016, Jo Shapcott and Marek Kazmierski were named Trustees. Margaret Atwood, Robert Hass, Colm Tóibín and Robin Robertson have assumed the role of Trustees Emeriti.

 
The Griffin Trust’s support for poetry focuses on the annual Griffin Poetry Prize, which awards two literary prizes of $65,000 each and an additional $10,000 to each shortlisted poet who reads at the annual Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist Readings in Toronto. A Canadian prize is given to a living poet resident in Canada; an international prize is given to a living poet from any country in the world. Both prizes may include works in translation. Judges are selected annually by the trustees and the prizes are awarded in the spring of each year. 
 
By funding the Griffin Poetry Prize – the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in English, ­The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry aims to spark the public’s imagination and raise awareness of the crucial role poetry plays in our cultural life.
 
The Griffin Poetry Prize is promoted through an evening of readings by the shortlisted poets, and by the marketing and advertising organized through the media, publishers and bookstores. Eligible collections of poetry are those published between January 1 and December 31 of any given year. Submissions are accepted from publishers only.

griffinpoetryprize.com

 


 

The Poetry Foundation, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, created a poetry recitation contest for high-school students in the United States called Poetry Out Loud. Check out the Poetry Foundation’s site for interesting feature articles about contemporary poetry, news from the poetry world, blogs by poets, interview podcasts, and poetry videos.

poetryfoundation.org

arts.gov

poetryoutloud.org

 


 

Poetry By Heart is a sister competition recently launched in the UK by Britain's Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. In Motion’s own words: “Poetry By Heart is designed to put the emphasis on learning by heart, not on learning by rote.  It is about understanding and remembering the deep recurring truths about our experience as humans, in terms that are especially beautiful and resonant.”

poetrybyheart.org.uk

 


 

The League of Canadian Poets site includes poetry workshop ideas and other resources for teachers.

youngpoets.ca

 


 

“One of my projects as Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate is to produce a series of short videos to help make contemporary Canadian poetry more accessible. These recordings illustrate a range of poetry that reflects the identity, places and modes of poetic writing in Canada.” – Fred Wah, former Canadian Poet Laureate (2011-2013)

 


 

Brick Books is a Canadian publisher that offers some great resources by and about the poets they publish. Their poet pages include interviews, reflections on writing poetry, and some writing activities that the poets themselves use. 

brickbooks.ca/students

 


 

Poetry.org is a good place to explore for an overview of the history of different schools of poetry and for the definitions of poetic terms.

poetry.org

 


 

The BBC Arts site often features podcasts of poets reading their work.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts

 


 

Canadian Parents for French seeks to raise awareness of the value of learning French as a second language by sponsoring cultural events in communities throughout Canada.

Most notably, CPF runs Concours d'art oratoire, a public-speaking contest for FSL students.

https://cpf.ca/en/home/

 


 

The National Reading Campaign’s mission is to make reading a national priority and to create, sustain and grow a society in which everyone has an equal opportunity to become and remain a lifelong reader.

nationalreadingcampaign.ca

 


 

Depending on where you live, check out these great literary festivals:

Montreal, QC: Blue Metropolis / Metropolis Bleu

Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Writers Festival

Toronto, ON: International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront Centre

Kingston, ON: Kingston WritersFest

Winnipeg, MB: Winnipeg International Writers Festival / International des écrivains de Winnipeg

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