18 books shortlisted for 2026 LCP Book Awards

The League of Canadian Poets has announced the 18 titles shortlisted for its three annual book awards.

Each prize carries a $2,000 prize. The shortlisted titles were selected from longlists announced last week. The books were selected by a jury comprised of poets Britta Badour, Yvonne Blomer, Cory Lavender, E. McGregor, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, Concetta Principe, Jane Shi, and Ami Xherro.

Two poets have been shortlisted for two prizes: Jide Salawu’s Contraband Bodies has been shortlisted for both the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the Raymond Souster Award, and Rebecca Salazar’s antibody has been shortlisted for both the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Raymond Souster Award.

Shortlisted poets will be participating in an online reading on June 2, with the winners to be named on June 3.

Gerald Lampert Memorial Award (Best new debut book of poetry)

Non-Prophet by Qurat Dar (icehouse poetry/Goose Lane Editions)
i cut my tongue on a broken country by Kyo Lee (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Gone Gone by Todd Meyers (Duke University Press)
Revolutions by Hajer Mirwali (Talonbooks)
Contraband Bodies by Jide Salawu (NeWest Press)
Familial Hungers by Christine Wu (Brick Books)

Pat Lowther Memorial Award (Best new book of poetry by a woman)

Uiesh / Somewhere by Joséphine Bacon, translated by Jessica Moore (Talonbooks)
Long Exposure by Stephanie Bolster (Palimpsest Press)
How I Bend into More by Tea Gerbeza (Palimpsest Press)
antibody by Rebecca Salazar (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada)
Wellwater by Karen Solie (House of Anansi Press)
procession by katherena vermette (House of Anansi Press)