Results tagged “kenbabstock”

Photo of Griffin Nominees by Poetography.ca.

Past Griffin Award recipient Christian Bök once stated, "The Griffin is the poetry award that can drastically change a poet’s life." Christian isn't exaggerating: the $100,000 prize, shared by two winners, is one of the largest poetry awards in the world. In a 2000 speech, Scott Griffin, founder of The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, explained, "the poetry prize had to be of sufficient size to make a statement that declared that poets and poetry are just as important as novelists and their works."

A whirlwind tour of 50 cities in 50 nights makes its Toronto stop Saturday night. The good folks over at Wave Books have put together the self-proclaimed “biggest literary event of 2006”, The Poetry Bus. The bus is a 40ft. bio-diesel MCI touring coach that sleeps 38 poets (that’s a lot of angst) and probably doesn’t look a whole lot like the bus pictured. Over 200 poets will be participating; getting off and on the bus at various stops across the continent. There will be one past presidential candidate participating along with one Pulitzer Prize winner.

The AIDS conference started last night and while Bill and Melinda Gates were there Stephen Harper sent his health minister. We think Stephen owes Tony one. Clement had to face a crowd who repeatedly chanted "Where's Stephen Harper" and some who held up signs and placards protesting the Conservative government's poor record on fighting AIDS in Canada and abroad. Even the co-chair of the conference criticized the PM for not showing up.