Book by Bren Simmers nominated for 2024 Governor General Literary Award for Poetry
A book of poetry, titled The Work, by Bren Simmers, managing editor of the Institute of Island Studies’ Island Studies Press, has been nominated for the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry.
The poems in the book deal with the work of love and loss, and learning to carry grief. Simmers writes of churning in an accumulation of losses—the sudden death of her father, the descent of her mother into dementia, her sister-in-law’s terminal illness—and of the work of slowly making wholeness out of brokenness. Her writing fosters a vulnerability and wit that sidestep easier tropes, a reminder that healing often comes through saying “Hello” and “Yes”; a realization that “all this noticing/was love.”
“I am thrilled to be a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry,” said Simmers. “It is an honour to recognized by my peers in this way. I am grateful that this book with its themes of grief and loss will connect with a wider audience.”
Simmers is the author of four books: If, When (2021), Pivot Point (2019), Night Gears (2010), and Hastings-Sunrise (2015), which was a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award. Her work has won the CBC Poetry Prize, The Malahat Review Long Poem Prize, and the Arc Poem of the Year Award. She lives on Epekwitk/Prince Edward Island.
Established in 1936, the Governor General’s Literary Awards celebrate literature and inspire people to read books by creators from Canada. Each year, the awards recognize the most notable English-language and French-language books in seven categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, young people’s literature (test), young people’s literature (illustrated books), and translation. The winning books in all categories will be announced on November 13.
Congratulations, Bren, and good luck!
The Institute of Island Studies is a research, education, and public policy institute based at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The work of the Institute focuses on the culture, environment, and economy of small islands, with an emphasis on Prince Edward Island. The Island Studies Press (ISP) is the publishing arm of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island. ISP produces scholarly books for a popular audience as well as poetry, literary non-fiction, and drama, dealing with aspects of the culture and environment of Prince Edward Island and beyond.
