10th Anniversary Tributes


“In its ten-year history, the Griffin Poetry Prize has become known as the most adventurous international literary award. Bringing together voices of various nationalities in a single arena, the Griffin has raised the stakes for poetry on the North American continent.”

John Ashbery
Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 International Winner

John Ashbery, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 International Winner

John Ashbery, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 International Winner

Christian Bök, Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 Canadian Winner

Christian Bök, Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 Canadian Winner


“Thinking within strict limits is stifling. Whilst Viking knights fight Griffins, I skirmish with this riddling Sphinx (this sigil – I).”

Christian Bök
Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 Canadian Winner


“I’ve read Charles Simic’s poetry for years, but when I was younger, living in a different country and moving in different circles, it never occurred to me that I might meet him, let alone have a conversation with him, let alone have it in a third country, as I ended up doing after the 2005 Griffin festivities. It was over breakfast in Dublin that he said something he probably doesn’t remember saying, but which, like his own poetry, is both deeply funny and profound: ‘I want to write poetry even a dog could understand.’ I later tried out this proposition in Vancouver, reading Simic’s poems out loud to various dogs on various beaches. I discovered that all but the dullest among them responded enthusiastically with tail-wagging and, more often than not, with an appreciative bark.”

Roo Borson
Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 Canadian Winner

Roo Borson, Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 Canadian Winner

Roo Borson, Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 Canadian Winner

George Bowering, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Judge

George Bowering, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Judge


“One of the dearest moments in my long life occurred when I saw the white heads of those two great octogenarians Robin Blaser and John Ashbery in the same room, where the Griffin Prizes were bestowed on their marvelous works.”

George Bowering
Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 Canadian Shortlist and 2008 Judge


“How lucky we are to have Scott and Krystyne Griffin as our most inspiring, stylish poetry patrons in Canada! Their work to keep poetry alive and vital in our time has transformed the Canadian and international poetry scene, and added immense sparkle and lustre – and hope – to the game.”

Di Brandt
Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Canadian Shortlist

Di Brandt, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Canadian Shortlist

Di Brandt, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Canadian Shortlist

Nicole Brossard, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Canadian Shortlist

Nicole Brossard, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Canadian Shortlist


“The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry truly shows the path to excellence every year through the remarkable way it recognizes and greets poetry, poets, publishers and readers. Each year those who believe in poetry and love what poetry gives to us assemble to listen and to enjoy. I use the word ‘enjoy’ because this is an important word in the aesthetic and convivial way the Griffin Trust enchants us in early June when the sky is blue and words make their way in our voices and sparkling eyes so we remain close to each other and to poetry.”

Nicole Brossard
Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Canadian Shortlist


“Judging the Griffin gave me the chance to meet three of my poetry heroes: Charles Simic, a fellow judge, and Charles Wright and Rodney Jones, who were shortlisted poets. The whole process was such a deep pleasure, from the initial deliberations to the awards event itself – where another poetic hero, Tomas Tranströmer, was honoured by the Trustees in a very moving and inspiring ceremony. Most vividly of all, I remember the Griffins’ remarkable kindness and hospitality, the fun and seriousness of the occasion and the sense that, for a few days in June at least, the whole world understood that poetry actually matters.”

John Burnside
Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Judge

John Burnside, Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Judge

John Burnside, Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Judge

Billy Collins, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Judge

Billy Collins, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Judge


“I was honored to act as a judge one year for The Griffin Poetry Prize, which holds a special significance for me, because my mother was Canadian, one of the great mothers of the province of Ontario as it turned out. In addition to its international prize, the Griffin has been uniquely offering Canadian poets for the past ten years an opportunity to be placed just where they are geographically – on top.”

Billy Collins
Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Judge


“Poetry is alive and well nourished, up above the United States in Toronto Canada, thanks to the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry. It is one of the best endowed awards on the international poetry scene, but just as important it gathers poetry readers and listeners to poetry as performance, a well attended and well publiziced event. I can still see the reading I did there via internet video. It was a pleasure and inspiration to meet the writers Michael Ondaatje and Margaret Atwood who are on the board of the Griffin Trust, two people that I had experienced as a reader for many years. It is important to remember that the Griffin Trust Awards are selected by fellow writers, the judges are creative readers and writers themselves, thus it is a very democratic and deserving award. In Toronto I found such an international community, jumping and diverse. Viva Canada. Long live poetry.”

Victor Hernandez Cruz
Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 International Shortlist

Victor Hernandez Cruz, Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 International Shortlist

Victor Hernandez Cruz, Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 International Shortlist

Jeramy Dodds, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Canadian Shortlist

Jeramy Dodds, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Canadian Shortlist


“The day after the award ceremony, as I was putting my suit jacket back into its body bag, I found a note in the pocket that said, ‘call me.’ No name, no number. And I realized that even amnesiacs know enough to attend the poetry event of the year. Here’s to the first ten years of the Griffin Poetry Prize reminding us of poetry’s manifold wonders.”

Jeramy Dodds
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Canadian Shortlist


“Poetry lives, and by no means only at readings and other ceremonies. I remember with glee an event that took place in a vast shed close to the harbour, with Scott Griffin and his wife joining the muses for a late night dance. Verses were whispered into the ear, where they belong at least as much as in the manifold volumes presented to a grateful audience.”

Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Lifetime Recognition Award

Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Lifetime Recognition Award

Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Lifetime Recognition Award

Elaine Equi, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 International Shortlist

Elaine Equi, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 International Shortlist


“I’ve always been greatly influenced by poets from countries and cultures other than my own. That’s why it was so gratifying to find my book, Ripple Effect, on the shortlist of your international category. It was a tremendous honor, but more than that, a reaffirmation of my desire to be part of a global community of writers. Sharing the podium with the likes of John Ashbery, Robin Blaser, and Ko Un was a real thrill. I’m grateful to the Griffin Foundation, one of the few organizations that promotes dialogue and transnational consciousness among poets and readers.”

Elaine Equi
Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 International Shortlist


“Poems are written in the dark, with stealth and cunning and endless revision. Then groups like the Griffin Trust drag those poems into the sunshine, where they blossom into pinks and purples and colors that don’t even have names yet. Poetry has no impact until somebody waves it in your face, and poetry lovers the world over have no greater friend than the Griffin Trust.”

David Kirby
Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 International Shortlist

David Kirby, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 International Shortlist

David Kirby, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 International Shortlist

August Kleinzahler, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 International Winner

August Kleinzahler, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 International Winner


“International is good. You can tie your sweater around your neck and tuck your sunglasses into your shirt and pretend you’re from Ravenna, not Wichita Falls. Poets do this sort of thing in their heads, all the time. But it’s far nicer to do it in Toronto in early June with all those people in black jeans drinking wine and not really caring where you’re from. ‘You’re from Ravenna, aren’t you?’ asks the earnest young culture reporter from the Globe & Mail. You smile cryptically and slip away into the crowd.”

August Kleinzahler
Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 International Winner


“I was more than honored to be appointed as a judge for the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2008. To be honest, I never expected such a distinction, crowned by the opportunity to praise and recognize one of my favorite and most admired poets, John Ashbery. But the greatest bonus of all was to feel I belonged to the Griffin family. People like Scott and Krystyne are rare flowers to be seen blooming in modern gardens. Their generosity, their flawless taste, their human quality characterize an endangered species: people whose compass is the heart. I am proud to have them as friends, and wish them all the happiness in the world.”

Pura López Colomé
Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Judge

Pura López Colomé, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Judge

Pura López Colomé, Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 Judge

A.F. Moritz, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Canadian Winner

A.F. Moritz, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Canadian Winner


“In essence, a poem, once it’s written, and even before, is everywhere, but the Griffin Prize is one of those engines that converts this to solid reality. Becoming associated with the prize is like stepping through one of those famous ‘portals.’ It wasn’t long after the ceremony that I found myself in Reykjavik, in New York, in Vancouver, a dozen places, and my poems in many more, where we would never have actually arrived except in our dreams. And it continues. This year, among others, it will be Shanghai. Thanks to the Griffin Trust for its long shadow that’s actually a bridge.”

A.F. Moritz
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Canadian Winner


“One of the things I like about the Griffin is that it values poetries translated into English, and their role in our culture: something no other Canadian prize has done.”

Erín Moure
Griffin Poetry Prize 2002, 2006 and 2008 Canadian Shortlists, 2005 Judge

Erin Moure, Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 Judge

Erin Moure, Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 Judge

Paul Muldoon, Griffin Poetry Prize 2003 International Winner

Paul Muldoon, Griffin Poetry Prize 2003 International Winner


“It was really meaningful to win the Griffin Prize. Everyone associated with that award has a genuine engagement with poetry, and a genuine engagement with poetry in its many manifestations. And, never mind the poetry, can they throw a party!”

Paul Muldoon
Griffin Poetry Prize 2003 International Winner, 2001 Judge


“The Griffin Prize is a ‘bright star’ in the poetry firmament. It was a privilege and adventure to voyage there.”

Dennis O’Driscoll
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Judge

Dennis O'Driscoll, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Judge

Dennis O'Driscoll, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Judge

Michael Palmer, Griffin Poetry Prize 2006 International Shortlist

Michael Palmer, Griffin Poetry Prize 2006 International Shortlist


“I come from a culture where the general attitude toward poetry all-too-often appears to range from indifference to bemusement to contempt. So, it is a pleasantly vertiginous experience to be invited into the celebratory atmosphere of the Griffin Prize, where the art and its makers are honored in such a festive manner. One is reminded while so assembled of the international, insistently human company constituting that art, an art that refuses borders and boundaries even as it struggles to survive in the margins, in resistance to the sanctioned limits of imaginative thought. The events around the Griffin Prize, the meetings, the meals, the readings, the presentations, create in effect an alternative, symbolic space, a momentary utopia, perhaps the only kind possible.”

Michael Palmer
Griffin Poetry Prize 2006 International Shortlist


“My favourite moment from the Griffins came in 2003 when Margaret Avison won the Canadian prize. She’d always been one of my favourite poets and we’d even corresponded a little in the nineties. I went up to congratulate her, and she remembered we’d been brief penpals. I gushed something like, ‘I’m so glad you won the prize this year. I think you could have won it in any year for any of your books.’ And she leaned into me, to speak into my ear, and I heard her say, crisply, ‘Oh, shut up.’”

Michael Redhill
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Judge

Michael Redhill, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Judge

Michael Redhill, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 Judge

Michael Symmons Roberts, Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 International Shortlist

Michael Symmons Roberts, Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 International Shortlist


“You walk into a theatre to see a floor-to-ceiling banner with your face on it. You discuss sport, scandal, politics and even poetry with great poets. Above all, you are reminded of the range and strength of poetry being written in English. The Griffin Prize leaves a strong set of impressions. I felt, in Toronto, like part of an international community of poets. And it lasts too. The Griffin people are very good at keeping the family together. There is no other poetry award, no other poetry organization, quite like it.”

Michael Symmons Roberts
Griffin Poetry Prize 2005 International Shortlist


“The winners and finalists of the Griffin Poetry Prize are not the only ones to benefit from this generous award. This became especially clear to me when I participated in a reading set up by the Griffin Poetry Prize at the Southbank Centre in London in 2004, months after the awards ceremony had taken place in Toronto that year. I read my poetry, and then took a seat to listen to Robert Bringhurst, Anne Carson, August Kleinzahler, and Margaret Atwood give their readings. As I listened to Robert Bringhurst, it occurred to me what a privilege it was to hear poems from my own country spoken in another country. That evening, you could have heard a hundred pins drop: there was that kind of intensity to the quality of the listening. This prize has created a space in which poetry – not only Canadian poetry, but poetry from around the world – can be sounded, spoken, heard.”

Anne Simpson
Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Winner

Anne Simpson, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Canadian Winner

Anne Simpson, Griffin Poetry Prize 2004 Canadian Winner

Karen Solie, Griffin Poetry Prize 2010 Canadian Winner

Karen Solie, Griffin Poetry Prize 2010 Canadian Winner


“To meet writers whose work speaks to me not only of what it means to write, but of what it means to live, has been a great privilege. When I walked into the 2007 prize pre-reading reception and saw Tomas Tranströmer, I thought I might faint.”

Karen Solie
Griffin Poetry Prize 2002 and 2010 Canadian Shortlists, 2007 Judge


“My greetings to the Trustees of The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry and to all poets: ‘Hold on, nightingale! / Out of the depths it’s growing – / we are in disguise.’”

Tomas Tranströmer
Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Lifetime Recognition Award

Tomas Tranströmer, Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Lifetime Recognition Award

Tomas Tranströmer, Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Lifetime Recognition Award

Priscila Uppal, Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Canadian Shortlist

Priscila Uppal, Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Canadian Shortlist


“In the last ten years, the Griffin Prize has put poetry back into the limelight, back into our schools, back into our homes, and back into our hearts. Through the Griffin Trust, the international poetry community is growing, and the exchange of ideas, languages, and perspectives on the world that this dialogue and interaction has cultivated, is leading to exciting innovation as well as celebration. I am very grateful and humbled by what is possible when we approach language with open minds.”

Priscila Uppal
Griffin Poetry Prize 2007 Canadian Shortlist


“There are many literary gatherings and there are many literary prizes. The Griffin has an air of eventfulness about it like no other. It isn’t held in some ugly hotel convention hall with dropped ceilings that make you feel as if you were wearing a hat. It doesn’t rake some sad food group onto a plate you spin around with knife and fork hoping it doesn’t come into contact with your skin. It celebrates the ‘craft and sullen art’ of poetry in the Englishes in joyous, delectable, danceable style (even if you have mistakenly chosen a frock that makes you favor a ghost). It’s an occasion to throw down the terrible turbulence and take in the shared pleasure of a living form.”

C.D. Wright
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 International Winner, 2003 International Shortlist

C.D. Wright, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 International Winner

C.D. Wright, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 International Winner

Dean Young, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 International Shortlist

Dean Young, Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 International Shortlist


“It was a remarkable honor to be nominated for the Griffin Prize; I never thought my work got much further, well, than my desk. I couldn’t attend the event, but it was clearly one of the best parties I wasn’t at!”

Dean Young
Griffin Poetry Prize 2009 International Shortlist

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