J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award
The J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award was established in 1998 through the combined efforts of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, poets, publishers, and post-secondary institutions, who raised funds to annually honour the best book of poetry by an Atlantic Canadian. In 2014, the award was renamed the J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award after the legacy of Father Joseph Murray Abraham.
One prize ($2,000) is awarded each year for a book of poetry that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada and published or distributed for the first time in Canada in the year prior to the submission deadline. The J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award is administered through the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia.
Submissions and Guidelines
The J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award ($2,000 prize) is awarded for a book of poetry written or co-written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada that was published and/or distributed for the first time in Canada in the year prior to and including the submission deadline.
Full-time residents of Atlantic Canada are those who have lived in one or a combination of the Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island) for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the submission deadline date. A co-authored book is eligible if at least one co-author meets this residency requirement.
Submission guidelines and a complete list of winners are available through the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia.
Congratulations!
Sue Goyette won the J. M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award for her book, Future Howl, published by Gaspereau Press.
Of Future Howl, the J. M. Abraham jury said, “Future Howl is a stunning meditation on trauma—both familial, and societal. Goyette’s collection transitions gracefully from one dichotomy to the next. Private agonies bleed into public denials while families can be as bloodthirsty as wolves. Natural scenes become escapist fantasy as the animal world viewed through a computer monitor is infinitely more comforting than the realities of genocide and climate change.”