National Post on the Griffin nominees

On the eve of the Griffin Poetry Prize announcement, the National Post interviewed some of the nominees, including Notebook of Roses and Civilization's own Nicole Brossard and co-translator Erin Moure. You can read the article at<!--newline--><!--newline-->http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=562757<!--newline--><!--newline-->But here are some highlights:<!--newline--><!--newline--><!--newline-->Who says daredevils can't be poets?<!--newline-->Mark Medley, National Post <!--newline--><!--newline--><!--newline-->No one becomes a poet for the money. It's the act of writing, not the fleeting possibility of reward, that drives them on. Not that rewards are necessarily a bad thing, as the nominees for the Griffin Poetry Prize would surely attest. With $100,000 at stake, it is among the world's most lucrative poetry prizes. The prize rewards the two best books of poetry published in English during the previous year, including translations. The winners, chosen from a Canadian and International shortlist, each receive $50,000. This year the three judges -- George Bowering, James Lasdun and Pura Lopez Colome -- read 509 books from 31 counties around the world before choosing the finalists.<!--newline--><!--newline-->In the days leading up to tonight's announcement, we asked the nominated poets and translators about what inspired them to follow their chosen path, and what advice they'd give to those who one day hope to follow in their footsteps.<!--newline--><!--newline-->INSPIRATION<!--newline--><!--newline-->Nicole Brossard, nominated for Notebook of Roses and Civilization (Canadian): '[Stephane] Mallarme. Then [Arthur] Rimbaud came a little later. And then, of course, much later came someone like Gertrude Stein. You have influences when you are a young writer, a young poet, and then later on with maturity, you have companions. People who will accompany you in your writing, the joy of writing.'<!--newline--><!--newline--><!--newline-->ADVICE TO A YOUNG POET/ TRANSLATOR<!--newline--><!--newline-->Erin Moure, nominated (along with Robert Majzels) for translating Notebook of Roses and Civilization (Canadian): 'It's the same as it is with any career: perseverance. The only thing that can keep a person persevering in any domain is joy. You need to read a lot, clearly, and to try a lot and fail a lot. Finding joy is what keeps you going.'<!--newline--><!--newline-->Nicole Brossard: 'Go along with your desire, your intuition. Have discipline, and at the same time take some risks.'<!--newline--><!--newline-->In the days leading up to tonight's announcement, we asked the nominated poets and translators about what inspired them to follow their chosen path, and what advice they'd give to those who one day hope to follow in their footsteps.<!--newline--><!--newline-->