Check the list frequently

"A single word or phrase can be the seed of a poem.

"Keep a record somewhere – in a notebook, on your phone, anywhere – of words and phrases that you can’t get out of your mind. Come back to the list frequently and repeat them to yourself.

"​​​​​​​Sometimes it requires patience for the poem to grow around that original word or phrase and sometimes it just flows. Then edit, edit, edit. I have since edited and improved my longlisted poem several times."

Howard Anglin is a doctoral student at the University of Oxford. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from McGill University, a JD from New York University and an MPhil from the University of Oxford. Anglin was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize twice, in 2022 and 2024.

The 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is now open!

You could win $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and have your work published on CBC Books.

The deadline to enter is Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 4:59 p.m. ET.
 

2025 CBC Poetry Prize jury announced!

Poets Carol Rose GoldenEagle, Paul Vermeersch and Britta B. will judge the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize. They will be selecting the shortlist and the winner of this year’s prize! 

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CBC Literary Prizes

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