Riffs & Ripples from ZenRiver Gardens: Banished Poets Society call for poetry/Purdy Poetry Prize call for Entries

Hello Chris, the deadline for the next newsletter is Oct. 21st

Maybe some of your outreach readers will want to contribute,

all cultures and outlooks appreciated, we need to hear their voices.

Just an e-mail to klgordonpoet@gmail.com and their mailing address is all I need. Much appreciation from Katherine.

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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for the AL

AND EURITHE PURDY POETRY PRIZE

Eurithe Purdy and the Al Purdy A-frame Association (APAFA)

invite submissions for the 2026 Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize.

The $10,000 prize will recognize the most outstanding new poetry

book published in Canada in 2025 by an established poet with five

or more published poetry collections. The recipient of the 2026

prize will be announced on April 21, 2026, coinciding with the

26th anniversary of Al Purdy's passing. The shortlist will be

announced in March 2026.

Eurithe Purdy founded the Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize

in March 2024 to recognize and reward poets of distinguished

achievement who demonstrate exceptional talent and a profound

connection to the Canadian spirit, which her husband so memorably

captured in his works. The inaugural prize was awarded to

Alberta writer Sid Marty on April 21, 2024, for his book

Oldman's River: New and Collected Poems. Toronto poet

and scholar A.F. Moritz was awarded the prize in 2025 for his

collection, Great Silent Ballad,

published by House of Anansi Press.

An endowment established by Eurithe Purdy and overseen by

the APAFA will help ensure the award continues to celebrate

excellence in poetry across Canada while preserving Al

Purdy’s legacy in Canadian literature. Al Purdy is often

regarded as the "unofficial poet laureate" of English Canada,

leaving a significant mark on Canadian literature. Over his

prolific career, he authored over thirty poetry collections,

a memoir, essays, a novel, and various anthologies. His

contributions earned him the Governor General's Literary

Award twice, and he was named an Officer of the Order of

Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario. The League

of Canadian Poets also honoured him with the Voice of the

Land Award, recognizing his substantial impact on Canadian

poetry.

The deadline for submissions is Sunday, November 30, 2025.

For eligibility guidelines and entry forms, contact the prize

coordinator at prizecoordinator@shaw.ca.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR 2026 AT THE AL AND

EURITHE PURDY A-FRAME, DEADLINE OCTOBER 10, 2025

The Call for Applications for residencies in 2026 in now OPEN. You can find

details about how to apply on our website: https://www.alpurdy.ca/residency/
Deadline is October 10, 2025.

FOUNDATION PROJECT

Phase II

As you know from our last newsletter, in Phase I, time and funding did

not allow for finishing of the new basement space, or for remediation

of the property. During Phase II the land will be replanted to grass,

trees and shrubs and the following improvements will be undertaken:

--finishing the new lower storey
--plumbing and fixture installation of kitchenette
--flooring throughout the new space
--cabinetry and fixtures in archive room, for Purdy materials

gifted by Eurithe Purdy, pictured below
--replanting lawn throughout property
--shrubbery around new foundation
--new trees to replace the diseased elms that were removed
--accessibility

Work will begin in November, after the residency program for 2025.

It would be ideal to have the inside work finished by March 2026

when the residency program will resume. The sooner the work is

finished the sooner we can extend our residency season.

Please help us get that basement finished.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/al-purdy-a-frame-associatio