National Poetry Month began with JC’s found poetry workshop for members of the Heliconian Club in Toronto. Well attended and received, JC covered her way of finding poems in words written by others, whether creating centos from lines in poems by diverse poets or cut-and-paste, blackout, and erasure poems using words from every imaginable source, including, but not limited to, best-seller lists, ads, novels, newspapers, and creative non-fiction.
She was then honoured to emcee the celebration of life for her long-time friend and collaborative writing partner, poet Carol A. Stephen, in Carleton Place, Ontario. She crafted the proceedings to give guests a chance to hear readings of Carol’s work by poets, well known and lesser known, who valued Carol as a writer and a friend. JC and Carol wrote poems collaboratively and published two chapbooks, Breathing Mutable Air and Slant of Light. They also wrote a full collection of collaborative ekphrastic poems, Breath of Sky and Water, which placed well in a U.S. contest but which is still looking for a publisher. Their collaboration on a new project consisting of poems written individually to the same themes and with the working title Becoming Mortal was cut short by Carol’s death in November, 2025.
As JC mourns, she recognizes that Carol A. Stephen will be missed not only by her family and friends but by poetry communities in the National Capital Region, across Canada, and internationally.
On April 19, 2026, JC returns to Lynn Pickering’s radio show, The County Writes…The County Reads, on 99.3 County FM after the noon news on Sunday, April 19. This program explores what book each of three guests is reading. Here’s a link to information on the show which can be live streamed:
Scott Griffin should have known better. When the lucrative Griffin Poetry Prize merged two categories of poetry, international and Canadian, into providing one shot to poets around the word at a bigger pot, Canadian poets were right to feel shortchanged.
In the wake of legitimate dismay that the long list for the 2026 prize features not one Canadian poet, Mr. Griffin has asked for commentary on the issue.
Anyone interested in ensuring the vibrancy of the Canadian poetry community should consider replying to him with a call to reinstate the Canadian category. Or to be even bolder, why not drop the international category all together? When Canada’s identity and sovereignty are under such pressure, surely focussing scarce resources in recognizing the excellence of our poets makes good sense.
Here’s link to QUILL AND QUIRE’s story which includes access to a form where comments can be sent to Scott Griffin..
https://quillandquire.com/omni/griffin-poetry-prize-seeks-feedback-on-format
I stand by what I said in my letter to the Globe and Mail, published in September, 2022.
Here’s the text.
“I am a long-time fan of the Griffin Poetry Prize’s Canadian and international categories.
To posit that Canadians are up to competing with every poet writing in or translated into English seems more smokescreen than credible rationale for a single category.
“It suggests to me that the prize process to date has coddled Canadian poets, which does them a great disservice. Their achievements in even getting published, within our country’s climate of diminishing publishing houses, restrictive retailers, and flavours of the month, should be celebrated and championed at every opportunity.
“I regret this decision to build up an already generous prize so that, in the end, the prize itself wins more profile on the international stage.”
What else might April bring? Hopefully some sunshine and NO MORE SNOW!