This is a list of recipients and nominees of the Governor General's Awards award for English-language poetry. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama was divided.Governor General's Literary Awards at The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Winners and nominees 1980s YearAuthorTitleRef. 1981 F. R. Scott The Collected Poems of F. R. Scott William French, "Gallant's collection of short stories takes fiction prize". The Globe and Mail, May 18, 1982. Alfred Bailey Miramichi Lightning: Collected Poems Barry McKinnon The The 1982 Phyllis Webb The Vision Tree: Selected Poems "Webb and Gray among winners". The Globe and Mail, June 9, 1983. Robert Bringhurst The Beauty of the Weapons: Selected Poems 1972-1982 "B.C. authors considered for awards". The Province, May 26, 1983. Barry Dempster Fables for Isolated Men Diane Keating No Birds or Flowers 1983 David Donnell Settlements "CanLit fiction's leading award goes to the Dog". The Globe and Mail, June 21, 1984. Christopher Dewdney Predators of the Adoration: Selected Poems 1972-82 "Governor General's finalists announced". Montreal Gazette, May 25, 1984. Don McKay Birding, or Desire Anne Szumigalski Doctrine of Signatures 1984 Paulette Jiles Celestial Navigation Rod Currie, "Former Kingstonian Judith Thompson wins Governor General's Award". Kingston Whig-Standard, June 7, 1985. Roo Borson The Whole Night, Coming Home James Adams, "Local writers nominated for award". Edmonton Journal, May 16, 1985. Marilyn Bowering The Sunday Before Winter David McFadden The Art of Darkness Sharon Thesen Confabulations Peter van Toorn Mountain Tea 1985 Fred Wah Waiting for Saskatchewan "Margaret Atwood lifts second Governor General's award". Edmonton Journal, June 4, 1986. Lorna Crozier The Garden Going on Without Us "Literary prize nominees named". Red Deer Advocate, May 13, 1986. Richard Lush A Manual for Lying Down Anne Szumigalski Instar 1986 Al Purdy The Collected Poems of Al Purdy Lisa Rochon, "Yvon Rivard honored for French-language fiction: Munro wins top literary prize". The Globe and Mail, May 28, 1987. Christopher Dewdney The Immaculate Perception "Awards finalists announced". The Globe and Mail, May 1, 1987. John Newlove The Night the Dog Smiled 1987 Gwendolyn MacEwen Afterworlds "Literary awards held at Calgary festival". Regina Leader-Post, February 13, 1988. Di Brandt Questions I Asked My Mother "Victoria's Gurr, Page nominated for book awards". Vancouver Sun, January 13, 1988. Roy Kiyooka Pear Tree Pomes Sharon Thesen The Beginning of the Long Dash 1988 Erín Moure Furious "New Brunswick writer wins national race for top literary prize". The Globe and Mail, March 4, 1989. Lorna Crozier Angels of Flesh, Angels of Silence "Atwood, Berton top lists as nominees announced for national literary awards". Montreal Gazette, February 1, 1989. Christopher Dewdney Radiant Inventory David McFadden Gypsy Guitar Peter Dale Scott Coming to Jakarta 1989 Heather Spears The Word for Sand "Governor General's awards announced". North Bay Nugget, March 10, 1990. Tim Lilburn Tourist to Ecstasy "Three B.C. writers in running for awards". Vancouver Sun, February 7, 1990. Stephen Scobie Dunino
1990s YearAuthorTitleRef. 1990 Margaret Avison No Time Philip Marchand, "Toronto's Nino Ricci wins top book prize". Toronto Star, January 23, 1991. Dionne Brand No Language Is Neutral "Prominent names among nominees". Windsor Star, November 17, 1990. Patrick Lane Winter 1991 Don McKay Night Field "First novel earns top literary honor". Windsor Star, December 4, 1991. Don Domanski Wolf-Ladder "Atwood leads G-G Award nominees". Hamilton Spectator, November 9, 1991. Judith Fitzgerald Rapturous Chronicles Patrick Lane Mortal Remains Anne Michaels Miner's Pond 1992 Lorna Crozier Inventing the Hawk Mark Abley, "Ondaatje wins Governor-General's Award, denounces GST in speech". Montreal Gazette, December 2, 1992. Evelyn Lau Oedipal Dreams Jamie Portman, "Three from Ottawa area among finalists". Ottawa Citizen, November 6, 1992. Laura Lush Hometown Steve McCaffery Theory of Sediment Kathleen McCracken Blue Light, Bay and College 1993 Don Coles Forests of the Medieval World "This time, Stone Diaries on top: Governor General's award atones for loss in Booker". Windsor Star, November 17, 1993. Claire Harris Drawing Down a Daughter "Shields in running for Governor General Award; Nomination comes just after Booker Prize loss". Halifax Daily News, October 29, 1993. Monty Reid Crawlspace: New and Selected Poems Douglas Burnet Smith Voices from a Farther Room Patricia Young More Watery Still 1994 Robert Hilles Cantos from a Small Room Philip Marchand, "History novel wins top prize Rudy Wiebe's A Discovery Of Strangers picked over Atwood and Munro". Toronto Star, November 16, 1994. Robin Blaser The Holy Forest Conway Daly, "Munro, Atwood lead familiar names in race for Governor General's award". Kingston Whig-Standard, October 28, 1994. Polly Fleck The Chinese Execution Monty Reid Dog Sleeps 1995 Anne Szumigalski Voice "Writer's Roaring success: Greg Hollingshead wins Governor-General's Award for fiction". Vancouver Sun, November 15, 1995. Roo Borson Night Walk "68 finalists for literary awards". Vancouver Sun, October 27, 1995. Di Brandt Jerusalem, Beloved Don Domanski Stations of the Left Hand Steven Heighton The Ecstasy of Skeptics 1996 E. D. Blodgett Apostrophes: Woman at a Piano Philip Marchand, "Vanderhaeghe wins second fiction prize". Toronto Star, November 13, 1996. Elizabeth Brewster Footnotes to the Book of Job Judy Stoffman, "It's Atwood ahead again in book race". Toronto Star, October 18, 1996. Crispin Elsted Climate and the Affections Charles Lillard Shadow Weather Erín Moure Search Procedures 1997 Dionne Brand Land to Light On Robert Reid, "Jane Urquhart wins Governor General's Award for fiction". Waterloo Region Record, November 19, 1997. Marilyn Bowering Autobiography Paul Gessell, "Urquhart, Hay nominated for Governor General's prize". St. Catharines Standard, October 23, 1997. Patrick Friesen A Broken Bowl Carole Glasser Langille In Cannon Cave Don McKay Apparatus 1998 Stephanie Bolster White Stone: The Alice Poems Anne-Marie Tobin, "Kingston author savours literary award". Kingston Whig-Standard, November 18, 1998. Louise Bernice Halfe Blue Marrow "Montrealers deluge list of nominees". Montreal Gazette, October 21, 1998. Michael Ondaatje Handwriting Lisa Robertson Debbie: An Epic Kathy Shaidle Lobotomy Magnificat 1999 Jan Zwicky Songs for Relinquishing the Earth "Matt Cohen, Marq de Villiers win GG literary awards". The Western Star, November 17, 1999. Lynn Davies The Bridge that Carries the Road "Governor General's Award nominees: Clarkson hands them out Nov. 16". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, October 24, 1999. Susan Goyette The True Names of Birds Richard Harrison Big Breath of a Wish Terence Young The Island in Winter
2000s YearAuthorTitleRef. 2000 Don McKay Another Gravity "Governor General's Awards handed out". Barrie Examiner, November 15, 2000. George Bowering His Life Anne-Marie Tobin, "Atwood, Ondaatje, among nominees for Governor General's awards". Prince Albert Daily Herald, October 26, 2000. A. F. Moritz Rest on the Flight into Egypt John Pass Water Stair Patricia Young Ruin and Beauty 2001 George Elliott Clarke Execution Poems "Governor General's award follows on top of the Giller: Novelist Richard Wright has good week". Prince George Citizen, November 15, 2001. Anne Carson Men in the Off Hours "Urquhart, Wright get GG award nominations". The Telegram, October 24, 2001. Phil Hall Trouble Sleeping Robert Kroetsch The Hornbooks of Rita K. Steve McCaffery Seven Pages Missing 2002 Roy Miki Surrender Diane Menzies, "Gloria Sawai, 70, wins Gov. Gen.'s literary award". Welland Tribune, November 13, 2002. Tammy Armstrong Bogman's Music "Shields, Johnston lead fiction list for GG awards". Timmins Daily Press, October 22, 2002. Colin Browne Ground Water Kathy Mac Nail Builders Plan for Strength and Growth Erín Moure O Cidadán 2003 Tim Lilburn Kill-site "Douglas Glover wins Gov. Gen.'s Literary Award for English fiction: Canadian living in New York State won prize for Elle, a fictionalized account of Gulf of St. Lawrence castaway". Cape Breton Post, November 13, 2003. Tim Bowling The Witness Ghost Anne-Marie Tobin, "Stellar year for Atwood: Writer makes short list for Gov-Gen's fiction award". Brantford Expositor, October 25, 2003. Evan Jones Nothing Fell Today But Rain Anne Simpson Loop Tom Wayman My Father's Cup 2004 Roo Borson Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida "Dallaire, Toews among award winners". Sudbury Star, November 17, 2004. Tim Bowling The Memory Orchard "Governor General award nominee 'hugely relieved' with book reviews". Guelph Mercury, November 13, 2004. David Manicom The Burning Eaves John Terpstra Disarmament Jan Zwicky Robinson's Crossing 2005 Anne Compton processional "Gilmour wins fiction prize". Prince George Citizen, November 15, 2005. Barry Dempster The Burning Alphabet Vanessa Farquharson, "The 2005 G-G nominees: all killer, no Giller: Literary awards". National Post, October 18, 2005. Erín Moure Little Theatres W. H. New Underwood Log Olive Senior Over the Roofs of the World 2006 John Pass Stumbling in the Bloom "First-time author beats out experienced peers". Nanaimo Daily News, November 22, 2006. Ken Babstock Airstream Land Yacht "Cole, Gaston among nominees for Governor General's awards". Whitehorse Star, October 16, 2006. Elizabeth Bachinsky Home of Sudden Service Dionne Brand Inventory Sharon Thesen The Good Bacteria 2007 Don Domanski All Our Wonder Unavenged "Michael Ondaatje wins again". North Bay Nugget, November 28, 2007. Margaret Atwood The Door Cassandra Szklarski, "Ondaatje and Vassanji among literary stars on Governor General's short list; Books Notable literary heavyweights include Margaret Atwood, David Chariandy, Barbara Gowdy and Heather O'Neill". The Daily Gleaner, October 17, 2007. Brian Henderson Nerve Language Dennis Lee Yesno Rob Winger Muybridge's Horse 2008 Jacob Scheier More to Keep Us Warm Paul Gessell, "Ricci repeats as GG Literary Award winner". Ottawa Citizen, November 19, 2008. Weyman Chan Noise from the Laundry "Hage, Ricci finalists for literary prize". Waterloo Region Record, October 22, 2008. A. F. Moritz The Sentinel Sachiko Murakami The Invisibility Exhibit Ruth Roach Pierson Aide-Mémoire 2009 David Zieroth The Fly in Autumn Pat Donnelly and Kathryn Greenaway, "A fiction win via a Yukon copper mine; Kate Pullinger wins Governor General's Award". National Post, November 18, 2009. David McFadden Be Calm, Honey Adrian Chamberlain, "Bookstore clerk's first offering vies with Alice Munro for top prize". Victoria Times-Colonist, October 15, 2009. Philip Kevin Paul Little Hunger Sina Queyras Expressway Carmine Starnino This Way Out
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