Tree regular, Gillian Wallace, has won the 2009 Diana Brebner Prize for her poem, “Crow, of the family Corvidae”.  The prize honours the memory of the late Ottawa poet Diana Brebner and is awarded annually by the ARC Poetry Magazine to an emerging poet in the National Capital Region.  

Gillian earned her PhD writing her thesis on original sin and is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers.  She’s had poems published in Arc, ottawater, The Antigonish Review, the Ottawa Arts Review and forthcoming in Room.  Tree congratulates Gillian on her well-deserved win!

Tree is immensely grateful for financial support from the organizations whose logos and links are shown below.

Tree meets in the Ottawa Arts Court at 2 Daly Ave on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.  

Free poetry workshop 6:45-7:45, regular session begins at 8:00.  There is lots of parking nearby.

The Tree Reading Series is a conversation ... about poetry.  We explore the richness of poetry in all its forms and meanings.  

Tree offers a broad, diverse program that will appeal to all poets.  Tree brings you the opportunity to meet and hear excellent featured readers.  The last months of our 2009 program offer such bright poetic lights as Kate Eichhorn and Lisa Robertson, and in 2010 Al Moritz (the 2009 Griffin Poetry Prize winner) Kevin Connolly, Andy Weaver, Stuart Ross, and Ken Babstock, to name only a few.

We offer program elements that will be of special interest to anyone serious about poetry.  Tree is asking prominent Ottawa poets to select another Canadian poet with whom they would like to read.  The Ottawa poet will read in the first half hour, followed by a half-hour reading by the special guest.  After, the two will discuss issues in poetry and take audience questions.  There will be no open-mic at these events.  This addition to the Tree program will begin November 8th, when Monty Reid hosts Lisa Robertson, and on December 10th, when Susan McMaster hosts Kate Eichhorn.

For published poets, we offer a special open-mic at Tree events.  We have also invited emerging Ottawa poets, under our Artist by Special Invitation program, to talk on various aspects of poetry, to broaden all of our experience.  These will include a dialogue and discussion with the audience.

For poets not yet published, and for anyone else interested, we offer a FREE POETRY WORKSHOPS before Tree events, from 6:45 to 7:45.  There will be special open-mic segments where the workshoppers can read; they will be joined, on occasion, by anyone else who cares to read.  

Tree is exploring other types of programming, including workshops and seminars, films about poets and poetry, investigations into the link between poetry and other art forms, and much more.  We are eager to hear any other ideas.  Click here to let us know about any suggestions you might have on new programming ideas for Tree; we would be happy to hear from you.