Crushed Wild Mint Longlisted for League of Canadian Poets Book Awards
Crushed Wild Mint (Nightwood Editions, $19.95) is a collection of poems embodying land love and ancestral wisdom, deeply rooted in the poet’s motherland and their experience as a parent, herbalist and careful observer of the patterns and power of their territory. Jess Housty grapples with the natural and the supernatural, transformation and the hard work of living that our bodies are doing—held by mountains, by oceans, by ancestors and by the grief and love that come with communing. These poems are rich with texture—blossoms, feathers, stubborn blots of snow—and lived experience. Their words speak to the mountains, animals, and all living beings, human and beyond, as they honour their ancestors and navigate the landscapes of their homeland. Through their exploration of history, rituals, emotions, and resilience, Housty invites us to reflect on our place in the world, urging us to redefine our bonds with our communities both near and far.
Jess Housty is a parent, writer and grassroots activist with Heiltsuk (Indigenous) and mixed settler ancestry. They serve their community as an herbalist and land-based educator alongside broader work in the non-profit and philanthropic sectors. They are inspired and guided by relationships with the homelands, their extended family and their non-human kin, and they are committed to raising their children in a similar framework of kinship and land love. They reside and thrive in their unceded ancestral territory in the community of Bella Bella, BC.
The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, named in honour of Gerald Lampert, an influential figure in the arts who championed emerging writers, is dedicated to recognizing exceptional debut poetry collections. The winner of the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award will receive a prize of $2,000.
The Pat Lowther Memorial Award, established to commemorate the legacy of acclaimed poet Pat Lowther, celebrates the outstanding achievements of women, trans women, and non-binary individuals in poetry. This award, inclusive of diverse voices, recognizes excellence in poetry penned by women-identifying individuals. The recipient of the Pat Lowther Memorial Award is bestowed with a prize of $2,000.
The League of Canadian Poets Book Awards are presented each year to poets at various stages in their careers, as well as a spoken word lifetime achievement award and a young poets prize. Shortlists for the annual book awards will be announced on April 17th, and winners will be announced in May. For more information, visit the League of Canadian Poets website.