Governor General's Award for English-language poetry

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.^[1]

Winners and nominees

Year	Winner	Nominated
1981	F.R. Scott, The Collected Poems of F.R. Scott	Alfred Bailey, Miramichi Lightning: Collected Poems Barry McKinnon, The The
1982	Phyllis Webb, The Vision Tree: Selected Poems	Robert Bringhurst, The Beauty of the Weapons: Selected Poems 1972-1982 Barry Dempster, Fables for Isolated Men Diane Keating, No Birds or Flowers
1983	David Donnell, Settlements	Christopher Dewdney, Predators of the Adoration: Selected Poems 1972-82 Don McKay, Birding, or Desire Anne Szumigalski, Doctrine of Signatures
1984	Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation	Roo Borson, The Whole Night, Coming Home 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	Lorna Crozier, The Garden Going on Without Us Richard Lush, A Manual for Lying Down Anne Szumigalski, Instar
1986	Al Purdy, The Collected Poems of Al Purdy	Christopher Dewdney, The Immaculate Perception John Newlove, The Night the Dog Smiled
1987	Gwendolyn MacEwen, Afterworlds	Di Brandt, Questions I Asked My Mother Roy Kiyooka, Pear Tree Pomes Sharon Thesen, The Beginning of the Long Dash
1988	Erin Mouré, Furious	Lorna Crozier, Angels of Flesh, Angels of Silence Christopher Dewdney, Radiant Inventory David McFadden, Gypsy Guitar Peter Dale Scott, Coming to Jakarta
1989	Heather Spears, The Word for Sand	Tim Lilburn, Tourist to Ecstasy Stephen Scobie, Dunino
1990	Margaret Avison, No Time	Dionne Brand, No Language Is Neutral Patrick Lane, Winter
1991	Don McKay, Night Field	Don Domanski, Wolf-Ladder Judith Fitzgerald, Rapturous Chronicles Patrick Lane, Mortal Remains Anne Michaels, Miner's Pond
1992	Lorna Crozier, Inventing the Hawk	Evelyn Lau, Oedipal Dreams Laura Lush, Hometown Steve McCaffery, Theory of Sediment Kathleen McCracken, Blue Light, Bay and College
1993	Don Coles, Forests of the Medieval World	Claire Harris, Drawing Down a Daughter 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	Robin Blaser, The Holy Forest Polly Fleck, The Chinese Execution Monty Reid, Dog Sleeps
1995	Anne Szumigalski, Voice	Roo Borson, Night Walk 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	Elizabeth Brewster, Footnotes to the Book of Job Crispin Elsted, Climate and the Affections Charles Lillard, Shadow Weather Erin Mouré, Search Procedures
1997	Dionne Brand, Land to Light On	Marilyn Bowering, Autobiography Patrick Friesen, A Broken Bowl Carole Glasser Langille, In Cannon Cave Don McKay, Apparatus
1998	Stephanie Bolster, White Stone: The Alice Poems	Louise Bernice Halfe, Blue Marrow Michael Ondaatje, Handwriting Lisa Robertson, Debbie: An Epic Kathy Shaidle, Lobotomy Magnificat
1999	Jan Zwicky, Songs for Relinquishing the Earth	Lynn Davies, The Bridge that Carries the Road Susan Goyette, The True Names of Birds Richard Harrison, Big Breath of a Wish Terence Young, The Island in Winter
2000	Don McKay, Another Gravity	George Bowering, His Life A.F. Moritz, Rest on the Flight into Egypt John Pass, Water Stair Patricia Young, Ruin and Beauty
2001	George Elliott Clarke, Execution Poems	Anne Carson, Men in the Off Hours Phil Hall, Trouble Sleeping Robert Kroetsch, The Hornbooks of Rita K. Steve McCaffery, Seven Pages Missing
2002	Roy Miki, Surrender	Tammy Armstrong, Bogman's Music Colin Browne, Ground Water Kathy Mac, Nail Builders Plan for Strength and Growth Erin Mouré, O Cidadán
2003	Tim Lilburn, Kill-site	Tim Bowling, The Witness Ghost Evan Jones, Nothing Fell Today But Rain Anne Simpson, Loop Tom Wayman, My Father’s Cup
2004	Roo Borson, Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida	Tim Bowling, The Memory Orchard David Manicom, The Burning Eaves John Terpstra, Disarmament Jan Zwicky, Robinson's Crossing
2005	Anne Compton, processional	Barry Dempster, The Burning Alphabet Erin Mouré, Little Theatres W. H. New, Underwood Log Olive Senior, Over the Roofs of the World
2006	John Pass, Stumbling in the Bloom	Ken Babstock, Airstream Land Yacht Elizabeth Bachinsky, Home of Sudden Service Dionne Brand, Inventory Sharon Thesen, The Good Bacteria
2007	Don Domanski, All Our Wonder Unavenged	Margaret Atwood, The Door Brian Henderson, Nerve Language Dennis Lee, Yesno Rob Winger, Muybridge's Horse
2008	Jacob Scheier, More to Keep Us Warm	Weyman Chan, Noise from the Laundry A. F. Moritz, The Sentinel Sachiko Murakami, The Invisibility Exhibit Ruth Roach Pierson, Aide-Mémoire
2009	David Zieroth, The Fly in Autumn	David McFadden, Be Calm, Honey Philip Kevin Paul, Little Hunger Sina Queyras, Expressway Carmine Starnino, This Way Out
2010	Richard Greene, Boxing the Compass	Michael Harris, Circus Daryl Hine, &: A Serial Poem Sandy Pool, Exploding into Night Melanie Siebert, Deepwater Vee
2011	Phil Hall, Killdeer	Michael Boughn, Cosmographia: A Post-Lucretian Faux Micro-Epic Kate Eichhorn, Fieldnotes, A Forensic Garry Thomas Morse, Discovery Passages Susan Musgrave, Origami Dove
2012	Julie Bruck, Monkey Ranch	David McGimpsey, Li'l Bastard A. F. Moritz, The New Measures Lisa Pasold, Any Bright Horse James Pollock, Sailing to Babylon
2013[2]	Katherena Vermette, North End Love Songs[3]	Austin Clarke, Where the Sun Shines Best Adam Dickinson, The Polymers Don Domanski, Bite Down Little Whisper Russell Thornton, Birds, Metal, Stones & Rain
2014[3]	Arleen Paré, Lake of Two Mountains	Christopher Levenson, Night Vision Garth Martens, Prologue for the Age of Consequence Sadiqa de Meijer, Leaving Howe Island Julie Joosten, Light Light

References

Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit English-language awards Fiction Non-fiction Poetry (1981–present) Drama (1981–present) Poetry or drama (1937–1980) Children's literature Children's illustration French to English translation French-language awards Fiction Non-fiction Poetry (1981–present) Drama (1981–present) Poetry or drama (1959–1980) Children's literature Children's illustration English to French translation Awards by year 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014