Winnipeg poet James Scoles wins CBC Poetry Prize

The 2013 CBC Poetry Prize winner has been announced: Winnipeg author and creative writing professor James Scoles. His winning poem, The Trailer, was chosen from 1,400 entries.

The jury writers Sue Goyette, David McGimpsey and Anne Michaels praised the winning poem, saying: "With wit and memorable precision, The Trailer takes a setting which is not familiar to poetry, adopts its argot, houses it withinafirm structural base and elegantly chronicles the pain inherent in the concept of 'success.'"

Although based in Winnipeg, Scoles spends three months of the year in a trailer located south of Vernon, B.C. His work has appeared in journals, magazines and newspapers in Canada and abroad. He was previously nominated for the Western and National Magazine Awards, The Journey Prize and the Pushcart Prize.

Scoles is currently working on a novel set in 19th century Ireland and a collection of short works based on his world travels.

As winner of the 2013 CBC Poetry Prize, he receives $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, publication of his winning work in the October edition of enRoute magazine and a two-week residency at the Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony.

Scoles' winning poem, as well the entries by all of the shortlisted poets, can be read at the Canada Writes website. The poem by French-language winner Louise Gagnon, entitled Le fruit, le don, can be read at Radio-Canada.ca.

An excerpt of The Trailer by James Scoles

Come together it did: bit by bit,

wall after wall. Patchwork: porch,

wet sky became one for a time.

Tin begat shingle, old screws re-

birthed into galvanized. Count-

less rubbery-guck tubes made a

bit better mess of the leaky roof

edges, while inside our matchbox

true love caught fire, was every-

thing we made of every day. But

building anything unbreakable is

no easy task, especially within the

scrappy walls of a silly little dream;

it was all we needed, could afford,

and the love made did cover each

day's losses.