There is something missing in this issue of Arc. Atop each poem, in the space usually reserved for the author’s name, the pages of Arc offer only white space. Even the winner of the Poem of the Year. Even the winners of Arc’s first Readers’ Choice Award and the 7th annual Diana Brebner Prize.

Welcome to Arc’s first-ever homage to Anon

Each of the poems in Arc 61—including contest winners and runners up—offers readers an opportunity to encounter a poem devoid of the context offered, for better or worse, by the name of whoever held the pen that wrote it. As Vancouver poet Aislinn Hunter writes in one of three pieces that explore works by Anon in this issue, reading verse sans creator can be liberating: “Anon is genderless, ageless, timeless and sometimes without country…the poem is forced to stand as a-thing-in-itself, like a present left for you in a quiet room, all trace of the giver gone…” Such is the ultimate condition of the poem, according to Amanda Jernigan, of St. John’s, Newfoundland, who writes in her appreciation of the old English poem, “The Bookworm Riddle,” that “all poems aspire to the condition of anonymity.”

In keeping with the spirit of eschewing recognition—or at least questioning the need for it—in this annual prize issue Arc asks the question: where does literary award-giving and award-getting really lead? Montreal poet Asa Boxer, recent winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry for his collection, The Mechanical Bird, wrestles with this question in an essay that delves candidly into the psyche of the prize-winning poet. We also reprint a talk given by Don Domanski at the Ottawa International Writers’ Festival, in which the recent Governor General’s Award winner and Halifax resident guides us down the path to poetry’s sacred home—somewhere way beyond the ego.

Free Poem of the Year Upgrade

Arc’s 13th annual Poem of the Year contest brings a whole new twist to the competition: our new Readers’ Choice Award. To bestow this honour, 50 short listed poems were posted on the Arc website and readers were invited to join in the experience of blind reading and judging. More than 300 people took up the challenge. The Readers’ Choice award carries a prize of $250, and will be a permanent fixture of the Poem of the Year Contest.

Arc reviewers not so cranky after all

Three new features appear in this issue which Arc hopes will become familiar friends to readers. First, the Arc Mailbag . Arc is now actively encouraging readers to write with complaints, contributions to discussions, and responses to anything Arc prints. Second, Arc inaugurates Arc Dozens , a list of the top twelve poetry tomes selected by a poet-about-town. Arc’s poetry editor Rob Winger is the first Arc Dozens contributor. Third, the Arc Rave —what happens when reviewers are genuinely impressed by what they read, and offer an enthusiastic endorsement of a book. Regular readers may be surprised to find which reviewers have granted the first Raves in this issue…

In addition to these new features, Arc 61 features the same fresh poetry, insightful criticism, and thoughtful reviews and essays that have made it a journal of note. It also, near the back of the magazine, reveals the identity of the poets therein! This issue is available on news stands now, or through the Arc Poetry Stand at www.arcpoetry.ca or www.arcpoetry.com.