Griffin Poetry Prize: Liz Howard reads Boreal Swing
Imagine a little girl climbing inside the open chest of a hanging moose, and transforming the carcass into a swing.
For poet Liz Howard, who was born and raised in Northern Ontario, the bemusing image is a true story that happened to her mother — and an interesting juxtaposition between childhood whimsy and the harshness of death.
In her work, Howard grapples with her Anishinaabe and European identity, and the ecology of her rural home. Today she reads and reflects on her poem, Boreal Swing.
Howard's debut collection, Infinite Citizen Of The Shaking Tent, is one of seven finalists for this year's Griffin Poetry Prize.
The Griffin Poetry Prize awards $65,000 every year to two poets: one living in Canada, and one poet living in another part of the world. This year on q we're highlighting some of the shortlisted poets leading up to announcement of the winners on June 2nd.