Lampman Poetry Award Reading

Press Release: March 23, 2006

Lampman Poetry Award Reading at Beechwood Cemetery

The resting place of Canada's finest nineteenth-century poet will be the site of a poetry reading in his honour on Wednesday, May 10.

Born in 1861, Archibald Lampman graduated from Trinity College (Toronto) in 1882, then moved to Ottawa, where he worked for the Post Office until his death in 1899. He is known for his ability to immerse metaphysics in the details of nature, which he observed while hiking around what was then the wilderness capital of a new country.

Each year, the Arc Poetry Society's Archibald Lampman Award recognizes an outstanding book of poems published by a contemporary Ottawa-area poet. In past years, the award has gone to such notable local poets as George Elliot Clarke, Gary Geddes, Stephanie Bolster, and last year's winner, David O'Meara.

On May 10, eleven entrants to this year's prestigious Lampman competition will read from their work at the Reception Centre at historic Beechwood Cemetery, where Lampman himself is laid to rest. Poets Daniel Boland, Ronnie R. Brown, Tony Cosier, Laura Farina, William Hawkins, Bing He, Tom MacGregor, Nadine McInnis, Seymour Mayne, E. Russell Smith and Andrew Steinmetz will take the podium at this free event starting at 7:30 p.m.

Founded in 1873, Beechwood Cemetery is the resting place of Archibald Lampman, John Newlove, and many other leading Canadian poets of the nineteenth and twentieth century. A portion of Beechwood Cemetery has been designated “Poet's Hill,” and is being developed as a site for literary commemoration, reflection and education.

Beechwood Cemetery Reception Centre is located at 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.