2011 Global Poetry Anthology
Our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology is now available in print! For more information please see our Global Anthology page. We hope you’ll enjoy reading this unique approach to global poetry, representing the rhythms, flavours, preoccupations and tastes of a diverse, international collection of poets writing in English.
Proceeds from sales of the anthology directly support our efforts to crowdfund a major literary award.
If you have any questions about the future of the Montreal Prize, please check the first entry on our FAQs page: WIll there be a 2012 Montreal International Poetry Prize?
2011 Montreal Prize Broadside
Eugenio Montale called the continued circulation of a work of art in the lives of its audience the “second and larger life” of art. In this spirit, the Montreal Prize asked renowned artist and sculptor Eric Fischl to read a blind manuscript of our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology.
Of Linda Rogers’ poem “The Grasshoppers’ Silence,” Fischl remarked, “I’ve chosen this poem because the image of the one-legged grasshopper won’t let me sleep.” In response, Fischl painted the tragic grasshopper at left.
Montreal Books Press is producing a beautiful, deluxe print of Rogers’ poem and Fischl’s grasshopper. Limited to 100 hand-signed copies, these broadsides are available for preorder now: contact Carolyn O’Neill at montrealbooks@videotron.ca.
2012 Prize Fundraising
Everyone who participated in 2011 helped to fully crowdfund a major literary award for the very first time, leaving our catalyst donors to cover all our costs. The next step in our effort to build a sustainable nonprofit organization is to build a permanent Prize Fund. Ideally, enough people will enter every year to fund that year’s prize, leaving our permanent Prize Fund untouched.
You can show your support for global poetry by:
1. Buying a copy of our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology
2. Purchasing a print of our 2011 Poetry Broadside by Eric Fischl and produced by Montreal Prize Books.
3. Making a direct donation to our crowdfunding efforts.
About The Montreal Prize
The Prize: The nonprofit Montreal International Poetry Prize is a first-of-its-kind crowdfunded global poetry competition devoted to a) publishing an annual global poetry anthology and b) awarding a prize of $50,000 for one poem from the anthology. For more information, please see About the Montreal Prize.
The 2011 Montreal Prize: The inaugural Montreal Prize was open for entries from March to July 2011. Our editors read just over 3,000 poems from 59 countries. In December 2011, the very first Montreal Prize was awarded to Mark Tredinnick for his poem “Walking Underwater”. See our 2011 Timeline for more details.
2011 Editorial Board: The Montreal Prize’s international jury of ten editors selected the poems in our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology and reflects our ambition to bring poets together from around the world, and to read from a global perspective.
2011 Prize Judge: The prize judge for the first Montreal Prize was former UK poet laureate Andrew Motion.
Selection Process: The Montreal Prize is the only major global literary prize that is awarded in a blind process (i.e. the editors and prize judge do not see author names). This places the focus on the poem, not the poet.
Advisory Board: Read about the members of our international advisory board.
A major poetry prize funded by poets: Read about our funding model and our historic attempt to turn the traditional literary patronage model on its head.
Publications & Broadside
The Work: The Montreal Prize curates global poetry in a variety of ways, including our print anthology and e-anthology, our poetry broadside, audio and translation.
The Poetry Broadside: American painter and sculptor Eric Fischl has produced a broadside painting based on one of the poems in our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology. In addition to being a beautiful work of art, the broadside is part of our current effort to raise a permanent prize fund. Please see our broadside page for more details.
Global Poetry Anthology: Our unique 2011 Global Poetry Anthology includes previously unpublished poetry from around the world, selected in a ‘blind’ process by our global team of editors. To preserve editorial independence, each poem is assessed by one editor only.
The Longlist Anthology: The poems selected for the 2011 Montreal Prize Longlist have been published in a 2011 Longlist e-Anthology, which is available for free download.
The Poets: Please go here to see bios of the poets included in our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology and to listen to recordings of their poems in their own voices.
Our Publishers: Our 2011 anthologies have been published under the Signal Editions imprint of Montreal’s Véhicule Press. You can find our more about Véhicule at www.vehiculepress.com.
Media & Events
Poetry Broadside: Our 2011 Poetry Broadside by Eric Fischl is now available! Please go here for more details.
In The Media: Here’s a CBC Radio interview with Montreal Prize co-founder Asa Boxer and Mark Tredinnick, the winner of the 2011 Montreal International Poetry Prize.
Listen to Montreal Prize co-founder Len Epp’s interview with Harriett Gilbert on the BBC World Service’s arts show The Strand.
Poetry Stuff: Here’s Seamus Heaney on the meaning and value of literary prizes.
Check us out at Cafe Babel, the Huffington Post and at Poets & Writers.
Here’s Poets & Writers Magazine on our big 2011 announcements, with a video of the 2011 Montreal Prize Broadside poet, Linda Rogers, giving a reading.
Our 2011 Global Poetry Anthology is available online and in various bookstores. Happy reading and thanks for your support!
Check out this project of one of our 2011 Global Anthology poets, Emeka Okereke: Invisible Borders Trans African Photography Initiative.
Check out the awesome and humbling work being done by Splendors of Dawn, an African poetry foundation based in Ghana.
