:: Descant is pleased to announce the winner of the 2007 Winston Collins/ Descant Prize for Best Canadian Poem

TORONTO — February 21, 2007
For Immediate Release

Brantford Poet Laureate John B. Lee is the winner of the inaugural Winston Collins/Descant Prize for Best Canadian Poem. The $1,000 prize recognizing excellence in Canadian poetry was presented to Lee last night by Descant Editor-in-Chief Karen Mulhallen at a celebratory reception at PageWave Graphics, Toronto.

The Collins Prize commemorates the memory of Winston Collins, writer and enthusiastic teacher of literature at the universities of Cincinnati, Princeton and Toronto. The annual prize perpetuates his remarkable talent for encouraging self-expression through writing. The response to the inaugural year of this competition exceeded expectations, with over 100 submissions coming in from across Canada by first time and seasoned poets alike, attesting to the quality and diversity of poetry in Canada.

The judges for this year’s award — Douglas Glover (author of the 2003 Governor-General's Award-winning novel Elle) and Lisa Moore (author of the 2005 Giller-prize nominated novel Alligator) — were struck by the “exuberant, nimble language” of Lee’s winning poem “The Green Muse.” Proclaiming it “a gorgeous meditation on the colour green,” they were impressed by Lee’s linguistic craft, admiring the “deft juxtaposition and dreamy alliteration” of the piece. Also recognized at Tuesday’s announcement were Toronto native Jim Nason, and Victoria, BC resident Yvonne Blomer, who each received Collin’s Prize Honourable Mentions.

Jim Nason’s poem “Chardin’s Rabbit,” which the judges characterized as “gory, sensuously lush, and richly imagined”, will be included in Nason’s new poetry collection Laneway Home. His novel The Housekeeping Journals is forthcoming with Turnstone Press.

“Witty, cadenced, and comic,” Blomer’s poem “The Roll Call to the Ark” is an example of the dynamism of her poetic style. She has appeared on the BBC radio, won numerous literary awards and has been a finalist in the CBC Literary Awards and The Malahat Review Long Poem Prize. Her first collection of poetry a broken mirror, fallen leaf was released in the spring of 2006.

(L-R): Managing Editor Mark Laliberte; John B. Lee; Editor-in-Chief Karen Mulhallen; Jim Nason; Yvonne Blomer; Pagewave Graphic's Andrew Smith

All three chosen poems were published in Descant’s Summer 2007 issue (#136).
To order this issue, go here

ABOUT THE WINNER —   John B. Lee, who was inducted in 2005 as Poet Laureate of Brantford in perpetuity, is no stranger to literary awards! Lee is the recipient of over sixty prestigious international awards for his writing including the $10,000 CBC Literary Award for Poetry, the People’s Poetry Award, and the 2006 inaugural Souwesto Writing Award (University of Windsor/Black Moss Press). He has well-over forty books published to date and is the editor of six anthologies including two best-selling works: That Sign of Perfection: poems and stories on the game of hockey; and Smaller Than God: words of spiritual longing. Lee’s work has appeared internationally in over 500 publications, and has been translated into French, Spanish, Korean and Chinese. He has read his work in nations all over the world including South Africa, France, Korea, Cuba, Canada and the United States, and has received letters of praise from such notable figures as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Australian poet Les Murray, and Senator Romeo Dallaire. John B. Lee lives in Brantford, Ontario where he works as a full time author.

:: Judges ::
• The judges for the first year of the award were:

		Douglas Glover is an itinerant Canadian. Born in 1948, he is the author of five story collections, four novels, and a book of essays. His bestselling novel Elle won the 2003 Governor-General's Award for Fiction, and has been optioned by Isuma Igloolik Productions. His criticism has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post Book World, the Boston Globe Books, and the Los Angeles Times. He has edited the annual Best Canadian Stories since 1996.
		Lisa Moore’s fiction has been published widely in literary magazines and in anthologies. She has also written art criticism and pieces for radio and television. Her two collections of short stories, Degrees of Nakedness and Open, have drawn enthusiastic praise for their supple sensuality and emotional authenticity. Her latest book, Alligator, was nominated for the 2005 Giller Prize. She lives in St. John’s.   Read Lisa Moore's web blog