The Griffin Poetry Prize Announces Its 2024 Longlist

This morning the Griffin Poetry Prize announced its 2024 longlist, in just the second year since the prize underwent major changes to open its eligibility to publishers worldwide, consolidating its two previous prizes (one that had been open to Canadian collections exclusively and the other open to all international publishers).

That decision turned the now single Griffin Prize into the biggest poetry award in the world in terms of prize money (as the prizes purses of the two previous awards were consolidated), with the winner taking home $130,000.

Canadian poets were not represented on this year's list, though two of the translators of works from Mexico and France are Canadian.

The judges for the 2024 edition of the prize were Albert F. Moritz (Canada), Jan Wagner (Germany), and Anne Waldman (USA). They read 592 books of poetry, including 49 translations from 22 languages, submitted by 235 publishers from 14 different countries.

The 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize Longlist:

A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails - Amelia M. Glaser, USA and Yuliya Ilchuk, Ukraine, translated from the Ukrainian, written by Halyna Kruk, Ukraine (Arrowsmith Press)

To 2040 - Jorie Graham, USA (Copper Canyon Press)

School of Instructions - Ishion Hutchinson, Jamaica (Faber & Faber, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Door - Ann Lauterbach, USA, (Penguin Books)

The Lights - Ben Lerner, USA (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and Granta Poetry)

Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence - George McWhirter, Northern Ireland/Canada, translated from the Spanish, written by Homero Aridjis, Mexico (New Directions Publishing)

Emerald Wounds: Selected Poems of Joyce Mansour - Emilie Moorhouse, Canada, translated from the French, written by Joyce Mansour, France (City Lights Books)

perennial fashion presence falling - Fred Moten, USA (Wave Books)

To the Letter - Mira Rosenthal, USA, translated from the Polish written by Tomasz Różycki, Poland (Archipelago Books)

And And And - Cole Swensen, USA (Shearsman Books)

The five shortlisted books will be announced on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

The winner will be announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Readings to be held at Koerner Hall in Toronto on Wednesday, June 5, and will be awarded $130,000. The other shortlisted finalists will each receive $10,000.

Tickets for the 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize Readings are now on sale and can be purchased at the box office of Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West or online.