NPM22 Blog: An Ecology of Intimacy: Through the Lens of Poetry by Penn Kemp

From Intimacy to Intimate, sans Intimidation. When asked to write a piece for National Poetry Month on Intimacy, who’s intimidated? Not me. I’ll just skip that ‘id’ and intimate softly what my heart wants…Yes, the heart wants intimacy, and who’s getting any, who’s getting too much in the last two years of involuntary isolation? My…

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NPM22 Blog: Poetic Intimacy by Fedana “Fefe” Toussaint

I wonder what he tastes like… It may seem like a sexual statement to make, but every time I see him, I remember that my hands were made to hold more than just myself. More than just secrets and the lonely that I wrapped onto my fingertips, so much that I can’t seem to hold…

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NPM22 Blog: Creating Intimacy Onstage by Charlie Petch

Effective performers have a talent for making the audience feel seen. They say the things you’d only think, and never speak. They somehow gain your trust from the stage, in front of a room full of people. As poets, how do you create intimacy on the stage? What are the elements of performance, of pacing,…

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Book Awards 2022: Shortlists

The League of Canadian Poets is proud to present the 2022 Book Awards Shortlists, including the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and the Raymond Souster Award. The winners – who will each receive $2000 thanks to funding from Canada Council for the Arts , Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council, – will be announced on May…

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NPM22 Blog: Close Friends by David Delisca

Close Friends. Ok. Whatever. Aight. The close friends feature on Da ‘Gram (Instagram) oftenly trips me out (or in). Bambi legs with sneakers, shuffling in its stance. I’m laced with my understanding of closeness that feels familiar, you know me cuz I know you. Makes it easier to share what I hold precious and as well, a…

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NPM22 Blog: We Speak in Poetry by Hasan Namir

Dear reader, If you are reading this, you’re either a poet or someone who appreciates and enjoys reading poetry. Or maybe you’re not a big poetry fan but you want to be. Or maybe you have a love-hate relationship with poetry. And to be honest, I don’t blame you. Whatever your relationship with poetry is,…

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NPM22 Blog: Poetry: An Intimate Journey by Jennifer Wenn

As the pandemic stretches into its third year (with, we all hope, an end in sight), the multifaceted and crucial phenomenon of intimacy has become a focus for many of us.  In some cases we have perhaps become overly familiar with the same surroundings or people; many other times there has been deprivation due to…

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2022 Book Awards: Longlists

The League of Canadian Poets is thrilled to announce the 2022 Book Awards longlists for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award,  Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and the Raymond Souster Award. 2022 GERALD LAMPERT MEMORIAL AWARD LONGLIST Awarded annually since 1981, the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is given in the memory of Gerald Lampert, an arts administrator who organized…

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