Bowen Island resident Susan Alexander has won a major literary prize. She was awarded the $20,000 Ross and Davis Mitchell Prize for her suite of poems, Vigil.
“Vigil is an outstanding collection that is highly deserving of first place,” said Lorna Goodison, a Mitchell Prize judge and acclaimed poet. “The writer is a talented and accomplished poet who handles the language of poetry with great authority, and the reader gets a strong sense that this is a voice rich in experience and wisdom. One also gets a sense that the poet speaks confidently on behalf of a large community of people; past and present, thus fulfilling one of the ancient roles of the poet as intermediary between humanity and the Divine.”
Alexander’s previous work has appeared in chapbooks, anthologies and several literary magazines. Her awards include the 2016 Short Grain poetry prize and the 2015 Vancouver Writers’ Festival Contest. She was longlisted for the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize and is currently featured on the bus in Vancouver’s Poetry in Transit. Judges selected her winning Mitchell Prize entry from among 250 nominees. The biennial Mitchell Prize seeks to recognize Canadian poets whose work wrestles with the beauty and complexity of religious faith. Three celebrated writers make up the panel of judges: Lorna Goodison, Chelene Knight, and Scott Cairns. The prize is a project of Image, a journal of contemporary art and literature, and is presented with support from think tank Cardus.
Alexander, author of The Dance Floor Tilts, has a BA in English from UBC and an MA in Theological Studies from Regent College.
1 comment:
Hi Ron: Great shout out for Susan! A gifted writer, for sure.
Post a Comment