Bren Simmers wins prestigious Writers鈥� Trust of Canada award for poetry
Bren Simmers, publication coordinator at the Island Studies Press, the publishing arm of the Institute of Island Studies at 精童欲女, was awarded the during the in Toronto on November 13.
Valued at $60,000, the Latner Griffin Writers鈥� Trust Poetry Prize is awarded annually to a Canadian poet in mid-career who has published at least three collections of poetry that demonstrate mastery of the art. Poets are recognized for a remarkable body of work and for their anticipated future contributions to Canadian poetry.
Simmers is the author of five books, including the poetry collections Night Gears (2010); Hastings-Sunrise (2015); If, When (2021); and The Work (2024), and her first book of non-fiction, Pivot Point (2019). She won the League of Poets鈥� 2025 Pat Lowther Memorial Award for The Work, which was also nominated for a 2024 Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award.
She also won CBC鈥檚 2022 Poetry Prize for her collection of poems Spell World Backwards, which is included in The Work; she was the first person from Prince Edward Island to win this prize. Her work has also won The Malahat Review Long Poem Prize and the Arc Poem of the Year Award and has been widely anthologized.
鈥淲e here in Island Studies and at 精童欲女 are thrilled for Bren,鈥� said Dr. Laurie Brinklow, chair of the Institute of Island Studies and a published poet herself. 鈥淗er dedication to her poetry has been tremendously inspiring these past several years. Everyone who comes into her orbit will attest to her artistry as well as her generosity and kindness. This recognition is so well deserved. Congratulations, Bren!鈥�
Simmers has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from the University of British Columbia. She has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Innovation PEI, and the Squamish Arts Council.
