At the League, we work hard to support poets by administering programs and funds for governments and private donors and encouraging an appreciative readership and audience for poetry through educational partnerships and presentations to diverse groups. As the recognized voice of Canadian poets, we represent their concerns to governments, publishers, and the public while maintaining connections with similar organizations working…

“April is the cruelest month,” writes T.S. Eliot at the beginning of The Waste Land. Along with breeding lilacs out of the dead land etc., April is also National Poetry Month! But this National Poetry Month is arguably even crueler—or cooler—than ever, due to the inclusion of an auspicious date: Friday the 13th. Poetry casts…

It’s National Poetry Month’s 20th anniversary in Canada, and all month we’ve been ruminating on the number twenty. What does twenty years feel like? What does twenty years sound like? Is twenty a big number or is it small? Where will Canadian poetry be in another twenty years? These questions all felt too big to…

“Writing is a process of self-discipline you must learn before you can call yourself a writer. There are people who write, but I think they are quite different than people who must.” Harper Lee When people ask me to describe my writing process – aka what is my writing discipline – my response is that…

The reveal of the Griffin Poetry Prize shortlist is a significant date on the calendars of all those interested in Canadian poetry; it is the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in English. Candidates are shortlisted in two categories: Canadian and International. The shortlist was released today, April 10, 2018, and the…

Overwhelmed by all the amazing National Poetry Month content coming out every day? Need a refresher? We’ll be rounding up our blog content, along with the awesome stuff our friends at Open Book, All Lit Up, 49th Shelf, and CBC Books are releasing – plus other NPM news that catches our eye each week; all month long.…

Al Purdy has been described at various times and by various writers as the “first,” the “last,” and the “most” Canadian poet, but for many of us he is simply the Canadian poet – the poet who captured and came to personify the distinctive genius of Canada. In a creative career that began when he…