West Meets East by Adora Wong

2018 CBC Poetry Prize longlist

Image | CBC Poetry Prize - Adora Wong

Caption: Adora Wong is a teacher, poet and violinist based in Miramichi, N.B. (Kristan Toczko Photography)

Adora Wong has made the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize longlist for West Meets East.

About Adora

Adora Wong is a Canadian violinist and teacher residing in Miramichi, N.B. Originally from Vancouver, Adora holds a Master of Music from the University of Ottawa and is a former member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Adora is active in creating classical music opportunities in New Brunswick and in fostering social change through orchestral music with the Sistema N.B. program.

Entry in five-ish words

Scenes from a first-generation childhood.

The poem's source of inspiration

"The scenes depicted in this poem stem from my childhood in multicultural Vancouver. Growing up as the first born-Canadian in my family, I embraced floating in between diverse cultures as part of my daily routine, resulting in images of everyday life from each."

First lines

it was not my Promised Land
where my mother's eyes danced
when cotton fell from the sky
and Japanese cherries heralded spring
and her palette was tickled by spices from all nations.

About the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize

The winner of the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts(external link), will have their work published on CBC Books(external link) and will have the opportunity to attend a writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity(external link). Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts(external link) and have their work published on CBC Books(external link).

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