Mark Callanan — Award-winning Poet and the Face of Riddle Fence — Up for the bpNichol Chapbook Award
Mark Callanan, well-known for his solid work as a critic and as the face of Riddle Fence – one of the country’s hippest, youngest literary journals — also happens to be a damn good poet. His first collection of poetry, Scarecrow, evoked reactions like “Callanan has talent to burn” from The Chronicle Herald, and “Breathtaking, such mastery in a poet so young” from The Fiddlehead. In 2009, he released a chapbook with one of the country’s finest chapbook publishers, Frog Hollow Press, and now Sea Legend is up for the bpNichol Chapbook Award. A great and necessary award, it seeks to “inspire, encourage and support” Canadian poets and the presses who regularly publish chapbooks. Editor Shane Neilson’s remarks on Sea Legend: “Mark Callanan has written a nautical tale bent by poet’s logic, replete with Newfoundland’s beauty but also its mystery … but theme is secondary to the skill with language.” The 2,000$ prize will be awarded to its winner on June 23rd.
Icon Tom Dawe Makes the CAA Poetry Award Shortlist the Same Week he is Crowned St. John’s Poet Laureate
Tom Dawe, considered by many to be the best Newfoundland poet of his generation, is a Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council Hall of Honour inductee. He is is also one of the founding members of Newfoundland’s first publishing house, Breakwater Books, and Newfoundland’s premier literary journal, TickleAce. On May 8th, it was revealed that his latest book of poetry, Where Genesis Begins, a poetry-art collaboration with Gerald Squires, has been shortlisted for the Canadian Author Association’s Poetry Award, a prestigious award that has been handed out to the likes of Alden Nowlan, Michael Ondatjee, and Leonard Cohen. To top that off, earlier this month, Tom Dawe was crowned Poet Laureate for St. John’s, a role he takes over from Agnes Walsh. As Poet Laureate, Dawe will work with the provincial Tourism Department in promoting the city and the city’s vibrant literary scene.
Related posts:
Twitter