Governor General's Award for English language poetry
Encyclopedia
This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Awards award for English-language poetry. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama
was divided.
Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama
This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry or drama. The award was created in 1937, the second year of the awards, and existed until 1980, when it was split into the separate awards for poetry and drama.-1930s:...
was divided.
1980s
- 19811981 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1981 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Poetry:Winner:*F.R. Scott, The Collected Poems of F.R...
: F.R. Scott, The Collected Poems of F.R. Scott - 19821982 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1982 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Guy Vanderhaeghe, Man DescendingOther Finalists:...
: Phyllis WebbPhyllis WebbPhyllis Webb, is a Canadian poet and radio broadcaster. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as "a writer of stature in Canadian letters", and calls her work "brilliantly crafted, formal in its energies and humane in its concern"....
, The Vision Tree: Selected Poems - 19831983 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1983 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Leon Rooke, Shakespeare's DogOther Finalists:...
: David DonnellDavid DonnellDavid Donnell Donnell moved to Toronto in 1958 before publishing his first book. Poems , During this period Donnell frequented the Bohemian Embassy, where Margaret Atwood, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Milton Acorn, and other poets estabhsh their reputations...
, Settlements - 19841984 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1984 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Josef Skvorecky, The Engineer of Human SoulsOther Finalists:...
: Paulette JilesPaulette JilesPaulette Jiles-Johnson is an American-born Canadian poet and novelist. Born in Salem, Missouri, she was educated at the University of Illinois in Spanish literature...
, Celestial Navigation - 19851985 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1985 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's TaleOther Finalists:...
: Fred WahFred WahFrederick James Wah is a Canadian poet, novelist, and scholar.Wah was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but grew up in the interior of British Columbia. His Canadian-born father was raised in China, the son of a Chinese father and a Scots-Irish mother. Fred Wah's mother was a Swedish-born...
, Waiting for Saskatchewan - 19861986 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1986 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Alice Munro, The Progress of LoveOther Finalists:...
: Al PurdyAl PurdyAlfred Wellington Purdy, OC, O.Ont was one of the most popular and important Canadian poets of the 20th century. Purdy's writing career spanned more than fifty years. His works include over thirty books of poetry; a novel; two volumes of memoirs and four books of correspondence...
, The Collected Poems of Al Purdy - 19871987 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1987 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
: Gwendolyn MacEwenGwendolyn MacEwenGwendolyn Margaret MacEwen was a Canadian poet and novelist. A "sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," she published more than 20 books in her brief life. "A sense of magic and mystery from her own interests in the Gnostics, Ancient Egypt and magic itself, and from her wonderment at...
, Afterworlds - 19881988 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1988 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
: Erin MouréErin MouréErin Mouré is a Canadian poet and translator of poetry from languages which include, French, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish to English. Her mother Mary Irene was born 1924 in Galicia, Poland and moved to Canada in 1929. Erin’s father is William Moure born in Ottawa Canada in 1925...
, Furious - 19891989 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1989 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
: Heather SpearsHeather SpearsHeather Spears is a Canadian poet, novelist, and artist living in Denmark. Educated at the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver School of Art, Spears emigrated to Denmark in 1962 where she also studied at the University of Copenhagen....
, The Word for Sand
1990s
- 19901990 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1990 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10000 and a specially bound edition of his or her book. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...
: Margaret AvisonMargaret AvisonMargaret Avison, OC was a Canadian poet who twice won Canada's Governor General's Award and has also won its Griffin Poetry Prize. "Her work has often been praised for the beauty of its language and images."-Life:...
, No Time - 19911991 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1991 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...
: Don McKayDon McKayDon McKay, CM is an award-winning Canadian poet, editor, and educator.Born in Owen Sound, Ontario and raised in Cornwall, McKay was educated at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Wales, where he earned his PhD in 1971...
, Night Field - 19921992 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1992 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...
: Lorna CrozierLorna CrozierLorna Crozier is a Canadian poet and holds the Head Chair in the Writing Department at the University of Victoria....
, Inventing the Hawk - 19931993 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1993 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...
: Don ColesDon ColesDonald L. Coles, also known as Don Coles, is a Canadian poet and a novelist. Coles won the 1993 Governor General's Award for English poetry for his collection Forests of the Medieval World and the Trillium Book Award in 2000 for his collection Kurgan.Don Coles was born on April 12, 1927, in...
, Forests of the Medieval World - 19941994 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1994 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10 000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges set up by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...
: Robert HillesRobert HillesRobert Hilles is a Canadian poet and novelist who lives on Salt Spring Island with his partner, novelist Pearl Luke.Born in Kenora, Ontario, Hilles studied at the University of Calgary, earning a BA in Psychology and English in 1976...
, Cantos from a Small Room - 19951995 Governor General's AwardsThe 1995 Governor General's Literary Awards were presented by Roméo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada on November 14 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto...
: Anne SzumigalskiAnne SzumigalskiAnne Szumigalski, SOM was a Canadian poet.- Life :She was born Anne Howard Davies in London, England, and grew up mostly in a Hampshire village. She served with the Red Cross as a medical auxiliary officer and interpreter during World War II, following British Army forces in 1944-5 across parts of...
, Voice - 19961996 Governor General's AwardsThe 1996 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented on November 14, 1996.-English Language:FictionWinner:*Guy Vanderhaeghe, The Englishman's BoyOther Finalists:*Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace...
: E. D. BlodgettE. D. BlodgettEdward Dickinson Blodgett is a Canadian poet, literary critic, and translator who won the Governor General's Award for poetry in 1996 for his collection Apostrophes: Woman at a Piano.- Biography :...
, Apostrophes: Woman at a Piano - 19971997 Governor General's AwardsThe winners of the 1997 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced on November 18 by Donna Scott, Chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts...
: Dionne BrandDionne BrandDionne Brand is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was named Toronto's third Poet Laureate in September 2009.-Biography:...
, Land to Light On - 19981998 Governor General's AwardsThe winners of the 1998 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts on November 17 in Ottawa...
: Stephanie BolsterStephanie BolsterStephanie Bolster is a Canadian poet who lives in Montreal, Quebec, and is a professor of creative writing at Concordia University. She was at one point a writer in residence at York House School.-Awards:...
, White Stone: The Alice Poems - 19991999 Governor General's AwardsThe winners of the 1999 Canadian Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, at a press conference held on November 16 at the National Library of Canada...
: Jan ZwickyJan ZwickyJan Zwicky is a Canadian philosopher, poet, essayist, and musician.She received her B.A. from the University of Calgary and earned her PhD at the University of Toronto in 1981 where her studies focussed on the philosophy of logic and science...
, Songs for Relinquishing the Earth
2000s
- 20002000 Governor General's AwardsThe 2000 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts, on November 14 at Rideau Hall.-Fiction:...
: Don McKayDon McKayDon McKay, CM is an award-winning Canadian poet, editor, and educator.Born in Owen Sound, Ontario and raised in Cornwall, McKay was educated at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Wales, where he earned his PhD in 1971...
, Another Gravity - 20012001 Governor General's AwardsThe 2001 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on November 14. Each winner received a cheque for $15,000.-Fiction:*Richard B...
: George Elliott ClarkeGeorge Elliott ClarkeGeorge Elliott Clarke, OC is a Canadian poet and playwright. His work largely explores and chronicles the experience and history of the Black Canadian community of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke refers to as "Africadia".-Life:Born to William and Geraldine...
, Execution Poems - 20022002 Governor General's AwardsThe 2002 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on Tuesday, November 19...
: Roy MikiRoy MikiRoy Akira Miki, CM, FRSC is a Canadian poet and scholar.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to second generation Japanese-Canadian parents, he attended the University of Manitoba, the University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University, where he is currently a professor emeritus. He lives in...
, Surrender - 20032003 Governor General's AwardsThe 2003 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on November 12. Each winner received a cheque for $15,000.-Fiction:*Douglas Glover, Elle*Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake*Elizabeth Hay, Garbo Laughs...
: Tim LilburnTim LilburnTim Lilburn is a Canadian poet and essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home...
, Kill-site - 20042004 Governor General's AwardsThe nominees for the 2004 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 26. The children's literature winners were announced on November 15, and the other winners were announced on November 16...
: Roo BorsonRoo BorsonRuth Elizabeth Borson, who writes under the name Roo Borson is a Canadian poet who lives in Toronto. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia....
, Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida - 20052005 Governor General's AwardsThe nominees for the 2005 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 17. Winning titles were announced on November 16...
: Anne ComptonAnne Compton-Biography:Compton was born and raised in the farming community of Bangor, Prince Edward Island. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Prince Edward Island, her Masters from York University and finally her PhD from the University of New Brunswick. Dr...
, Processional - 20062006 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2006 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 16. Winning titles were announced on November 21...
: John PassJohn PassJohn Pass is a Canadian poet. He has lived in Canada since 1953, and was educated at the University of British Columbia....
, Stumbling in the Bloom - 20072007 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2007 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 16. Winning titles were announced on November 27...
: Don DomanskiDon DomanskiDon Rusu Domanski is a Canadian poet who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Domanski was born and raised on Cape Breton Island. Published and reviewed internationally, his work has been translated into Czechoslovakian, Portuguese, and Spanish...
, All Our Wonder Unavenged - 20082008 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2008 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 21, and winning titles were announced on November 18...
: Jacob ScheierJacob ScheierJacob Scheier is a Canadian poet. His debut poetry collection, More to Keep Us Warm, was published by ECW Press in 2007 and was named the winner of the 2008 Governor General's Award for English poetry....
, More to Keep Us Warm - 20092009 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2009 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 14, and winning titles will be announced on November 17...
: David ZierothDavid ZierothDavid Dale Zieroth is a Canadian poet. He won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize in 1999 for How I Joined Humanity at Last, and the Governor General's Award for English language poetry in 2009 for The Fly in Autumn.-Works:*Clearing: Poems from a Journey *Mid-River *When the Stones Fly Up *The Weight...
, The Fly in Autumn
2010s
- 20102010 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2010 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 13, and winning titles were announced on November 16...
: Richard GreeneRichard Greene (writer)Richard Greene is a Canadian poet. His book Boxing the Compass won the Governor General's Award for English language poetry at the 2010 Governor General's Awards....
, Boxing the Compass