Poets swap books of poetry during the PoemCity opening reception at Kellogg Hubbard Library, in Montpelier, Vt., Saturday, April 1, 2023. The winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize is set to be announced at an event at Toronto's Koerner Hall this evening. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Lisa Rathke
TORONTO – The winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize is set to be announced at an event at Toronto’s Koerner Hall this evening.
It will be the first winner since the Griffin combined its categories for homegrown and international poets into a single global purse worth $130,000.
This also marks a change in format for the celebrations, which have been held virtually since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But organizers aren’t going back to their pre-pandemic format either.
In addition to merging the prizes, the Griffin Trust did away with its former arrangement of holding separate events for the poetry reading and a gala the following evening, where the winners would be announced.
Instead, the shortlisted writers and the Griffin First Canadian Book winner will read from their work at the announcement, which the poetry-loving public can attend.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.
