NPM 2020: The Weekly Roundup (April 1 – 10)
Welcome to the first weekly round-up for National Poetry Month 2020. Below are highlights from this week’s NPM announcements, activities, blog, events, poetry prompts and more.
Celebrating the 2020 LCP Book Awards Longlist
In honour of our first announcement of the 2020 Book Awards season, we would like to take an opportunity to congratulate and celebrate the work of all our longlisted poets for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, Pat Lowther Memorial Award and Raymond Souster Award. Please click the images below to learn more about the poetry and poets on the longlists.
Poetry & Healing
Throughout the month of April, join Kate Marshall Flaherty, Al Moritz (Poet Laureate of Toronto), Luciano Iacobelli, Lois Lorimer, Daniel David Moses, Ronna Bloom, Rajinderpal S. Pal, Catherine Graham, Dr. Conor Mc Donnell, Jacob Shier, Ayesha Chatterjee, Corrado Paina and Grace Ma in celebrating the healing power of poetry.
This past week on the #NPMBlog:
National Poetry Month: Prompted by Jude Neale
See how Jude tackled and enjoyed all of last year’s National Poetry Month Poetry Prompts and how she turned a fun exercise into a upcoming collection
A Shared Tapestry: Poetry, Community and Culture by Jeevan Bhagwat
In this post, Jeevan examines why poetry connects people like no other art form, and examines the relationship communities have with sharing poetry.
A World of Poetry by Bill Arnott
Bill shares his adventures with poets and poetry around the world in this article that spans from Australia to Europe and back home again.
A World of Poetry: Life and Truth by Anna Yin
In this lovely article including both English and Chinese poetry, Anna shares how writing poetry has provided light and meaning in her life as well as the monumental impact poetry brings to others.
Poetry Beyond Borders by Abena Beloved Green
Abena reflects on the places poetry has appeared in her life in this article, and makes some very topical connections with poetry and isolating world we find ourselves in these days.
Translating Poetry by Erín Moure
In this article, Erín shares her journey as a poetry translator, and the key mentors and poems that have impacted her career.
NPM Events
Thank you to everyone who has let us know how they are celebrating poetry this National Poetry Month.
Here is a quick list of some of great poetry initiatives and celebrations:
- The Art Bar Poetry Series will be broadcasting poetry readings on Facebook every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. Check out the group on Facebook or on their website
- April 15: David Ly will be reading from his new collection, Mythical Man via Twitter livestream as a part of the NAC’s #CanadaPerforms project. Follow David on Twitter to watch!
- The Online Edition of Single Onion OPEN MIC #43 feat. Francis Willey will take place on April 27, 2020. Check out the Facebook page for more details on how to participate and tune in.
- Susie Whelehan is typing up a poem every day posting it on the rear window of her car parked at the end of her driveway so everyone who walks by has a chance to read it! She plans to alternate ones for children with ones for former children.
- Barbara Bucknall joined the League after publishing her The Witch Poems in 1995. She recently self published a second edition with her own illustrations and has taken up the theme of the witch again by writing a fairly long narrative poem called “The Witch Meets The Son of Man,” which is an account of a remembered past existence. Barbara intends to spend April putting other past existences into narrative verse.
- Honey Novick is pleased to share that her poem “Eglinton Avenue West – My Neighbourhood” was shared in a recent newsletter from Toronto MPP Jill Andrew. Read the poem and newsletter
Join the #NPM20 Conversation!
Share your NPM activities and join the conversation by tagging us on Twitter or Instagram @CanadianPoets. and use the official #NPM20 hashtag.
Don’t miss out on these Awards – Submissions are open!
Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth — over $2000 to be won! Deadline is April 20, 2020, don’t delay! Submit your poem and find out more
The bpNichol Chapbook Award recognizes excellence in Canadian poetry in English published in chapbook form within Canada. The prize is awarded to a poetry chapbook judged to be the best submitted. The author receives $4,000 and the publisher receives $500. Awarded continuously since 1986, the bpNichol Chapbook Award is currently administered by the Meet the Presses collective. Find out more
#PoetryPrompts
The League will be sharing poetry prompts every day in April on our social media to encourage writing poetry and flexing the creative muscle. Be sure to follow @canadianpoets on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to not miss out!
Here are this past week’s prompts, if you’re looking some weekend poetry inspiration.
Poetry Pause
Your poetry could be featured in Poetry Pause: we are always accepting submissions! Did you know that Poetry Pause accepts published and unpublished poems? Help the League share your poetry with the world and deliver the joy of poetry every day, direct to your inbox. Find out more and submit your poem
Love poetry? Subscribe to Poetry Pause
Be a Poetry City: Get your event on our Poetry Map!
Throughout April, we will update our Poetry Map to track all NPM events and happenings that we hear about. We encourage cities and towns to celebrate National Poetry Month online this year. Big or small, we want to hear about your #NPM20 activities!
Check our global map of Poetry Cities and Notable Poetry Places
For League Members
- The latest ST@NZA is here! Download or read Issue 17.1, Spring 2020 on
Wild Apricot - COVID-19 & League Funding: The League currently has multiple initiatives underway to assist any members or funding recipients throughout the outbreak of COVID-19. Please visit our special COVID-19 information and resource page for more information.
Announcing the Reestablishment of the Freedom of Expression Committee from the League’s National Council: This National Poetry Month, the League reaffirms our commitment to inclusive and equitable free expression for all poets in Canada. Read the full announcement on poets.ca