Press Release: April 21, 2004
2004 Summer Awards
Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry
The 19th Archibald Lampman award goes this year to David O�Meara for his book of poetry, The Vicinity (published by Brick Books). The award is given annually by Arc, Canada’s National Poetry Magazine, for the best book of poetry written in English during the preceding calendar year by a writer living in Ottawa.
Jury members Brian Bartlett of Halifax, Stephanie Bolster of Montreal, and Aislinn Hunter of Vancouver, had this to say about O’Meara’s book:
“Though meticulously crafted, his lines never show off, always deferring not so much to their subjects as to the singular mind that moves through them.”
“This book … looks hard at the common object and the day to day — how the ordinary can harbour its own kind of revelation.”
“The poems show a rare balance of care and spontaneity, intelligence and intuition. This is an outstanding collection not just for the Nation’s Capital but for the nation, period.”
The Vicinity is O’Meara’s second book of poetry. It has been short-listed for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry and also for the Ottawa Book Award.
The Lampman award is named in honor of Confederation poet Archibald Lampman whose reputation still stands today as “Canada’s finest 19th century English-language poet.” Lampman lived in Ottawa for most of his adult life, producing three volumes of poetry while working as a clerk at the Post Office Department, before his early death at the age of 37 in 1899.
Arc also pays tribute to the work of four other Ottawa poets for their books published in 2003: Marianne Bluger, Early Evening Pieces; Cyril Dabydeen, Hemisphere of Love; rob mclennan, red earth; and Colin Morton, Dance, Misery.
Arc announces two other awards that will be noted in the upcoming Arc 52, Summer 2004, due out end of May:
Confederation Poets Prize
Given for the best poem published in Arc in the preceding calendar year, the Confederation Poets Prize goes this year to Mark Sinnett for his poem, “What separates Us from the Birds” published in Arc 50, Summer 2003. The judge was Gary Geddes.
Critic’s Desk Award
Inaugurated in Arc’s 25th-anniversary year, the Critic’s Desk Award honours excellence in book reviewing. This year’s winners are Bruce Whiteman (feature review) for his critique of Charlotte Gray’s Flint & Feather: The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson, Tekahionwake in Arc 51, and Christopher Doda (brief review) for of his critique of Kevin Connolly’s Happyland in Arc 51. The judge this year was David Staines of Ottawa.
