2020 Jurors

We're thrilled to announce that the judges this year will be Nisha Patel and Lisa Martin!

Lisa Martin is the author of two collections of poetry — One Crow Sorrow (Brindle & Glass, 2008) and Believing is Not the Same as Being Saved (University of Alberta Press, 2017). She is also co-editor with Jessica Hiemstra of the essay collection, How to Expect What You’re Not Expecting, which won an IPPY (Independent Publisher’s Award) in 2015. Lisa’s work has won the Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry (2009) and a National Magazine Award for Personal Journalism (2012). Her most recent collection of poetry was a finalist for the City of Edmonton Book Award in 2018.

Nisha Patel is an award-winning queer poet & artist. She is the City of Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, and the 2019 Canadian Individual Slam Champion. She is a recipient of the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award. She is also the Executive Director of the Edmonton Poetry Festival. Her debut collection COCONUT is forthcoming with Newest Press.