Anglican Priest, Erstwhile Shepherd, Actress and Radio Voice Wins $20,000 Poetry Prize

MONTREAL - Sept. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- MONTREAL, September 23, 2013 – The not-for-profit Montreal International Poetry Prize announces its 2013 prize-winner Mia Anderson, an accomplished poet originally from Toronto but now living in Portneuf, Quebec, Canada. Anderson was selected from among close to 2000 entries from 70 countries to win the $20,000 prize. Asked for a statement, Anderson remarked: “it’s uncanny, the pleasure it gives that the judge seems to have “got” what I was trying to toss aloft. I’m immensely grateful.”

Mia Anderson is a writer, an Anglican priest, an erstwhile shepherd, long-time actress and a once-familiar voice in CBC radio dramas. In fact, hers is the voice of Atwood’s The Journals of Suzanna Moodie. Born and raised in Toronto, where she graduated in English Language and Literature from the University of Toronto, Mia Anderson spent the next 25 years on the stage in London, England, in Edinburgh, Manchester, and across Canada (including 5 seasons at the Stratford Festival) and a national tour of her one-woman show 10 Women, 2 Men and a Moose. Mia has published four books of poetry.

The Montreal Prize brought together 10 accomplished poets from around the globe to act as editors of the 2013 Global Poetry Anthology collection. These editors then sorted through submissions without seeing author names and selected poems for the collection (which also served as a shortlist for the prize). Prize Judge Don Paterson then read a copy of the manuscript of the anthology (also without seeing author names) and selected the $20,000 poem.

Here’s part of what Don Paterson, Scottish poet and editor of Picador (Macmillan’s poetry imprint), had to say about the winning poem: ““The Antenna” is that rare thing—a conceit which has the good taste not to outstay its welcome, but which also makes us think again about its subject in an entirely new way. This poem about our spiritual ‘receivership’ is clever, musical, funny, and full of memorable lines.”

Mia Anderson will be on CBC’s Cinq à Six on September 28^th.

The 2013 Global Poetry Anthology containing the top 52 poems entered in the Montreal Prize poetry competition will be published by Véhicule Press, Signal Editions in November 2013.

The next Montreal International Poetry Prize competition will be held in 2015.

Visit www.montrealprize.com, discover the shortlisted poets and hear them read their poems.

Media Contact: Asa Boxer | aboxer@montrealprize.com