In her foreword to Arc 63, editor Anita Lahey likens the finished poem to “a bundle of letters: signed, addressed and stamped. The reader both receives and delivers.” This week readers of Arc will be on the receiving end of some great correspondence—between writers and readers, between a poet and herself, and between our readers and Arc.

14th Annual Poem Of The Year Winners

Arc’s editors warmly congratulate Victoria poet Patricia Young, winner of the 2009 Poem of the Year contest, for her poem “The Night of the Apocalypse Yahweh Tinkles the Ivories.” If this feels a little deja vu it’s for good reason: this is the second year running that Young’s work has been selected for first place in this blind competition, which is judged by Arc’s editorial board. Joining Patricia on the poetry podium are second prize winner Susan Buis of Knutsford, B.C. for “In Alabastrine (Edith Lake),” E. Alex Pierce of Cape Breton for “Common Loons” and several Editors’ Choice Awards.

2nd Annual Readers’ Choice Award

For the second year running, the Readers’ Choice Award was added to the Poem of the Year docket, and once again the response from voters was almost overwhelming. We logged 1,170 votes, of which Toronto poet Jim Johnstone took the biggest chunk for his poem “Canadian Gothic”—a poem that was also independently singled out for an Editors’ Choice Award.

8th Annual Diana Brebner Prize For Poetry

The winner of the Diana Brebner Prize for 2009—also appearing in this issue—is Gillian Wallace for “Crow, of the family Corvidae.” This contest honours the memory of the late Ottawa poet Diana Brebner, and is awarded each year to an emerging poet in the National Capitol region. The prize was judged this year by Gatineau poet and former Arc editorial board member Peter Richardson. He also awarded an honourable mention to Jacqueline Kawaja for the “Speed of Angiogenesis”.

Arc 63: How to end a poem, and other revelations

Also in Arc 63 is Barbara Meyer’s exploration of the ending of a poem, new poems from Daryl Hine and former Arc editor John Barton, and Don Coles top twelve poems of all time—delivered by the man himself in Arc Dozens. Fierce Arc critic Zach Wells turns appreciator in his essay in this issue, which begins with the experience of reading Arc 61—the anonymous issue—and Robyn Sarah’s poem “Echoes of November.” That poem caught eyes other than Wells’. See below!

4 Arc Poets Chosen For Best Poems Anthology

We at Arc are happy to announce that several poems from 2008 issues have been included in the anthology The Best Canadian Poetry in English 2009 anthology, edited by Al Moritz (just released by Tightrope Books). These include “Pugnax Gives Notice,” by Carmine Starnino, “Dante’s Ikea” by Asa Boxer, “Echoes of November” by Robyn Sarah and “Roadside Vegetable Stand, Outskirts of Kitchener” by Shane Neilson. We want to congratulate them, as well as Chris Banks and Frances Boyle, whose poems from Arc 61 were on the longlist. Of course, one could add this to the longlist of things that the Arc team is not surprised about—given that many of these were already declared winners. For example, Frances Boyle won the Diana Brebner Prize for 2008, and Shane Neilson an Editors’ Choice Award for Poem of the Year 2008.

Poem Of The Year 2010

Readers please note that the deadline for Arc’s annual Poem of the Year contest has changed! Poems for next year’s contest must be in by February 1, 2010. See arcpoetry.ca for full guidelines.

Arc 63 and the 2010 Arc Poetry Annual are both currently available on newsstands, or through the Arc Poetry Stand at www.arcpoetry.ca. Contact arc@arcpoetry.ca for information or interviews.

Arc 63, Winter 2010 : Table of Contents | Contributors