April 25th was Indie Bookstore Day, and I meant to post this list then, but it’s always a beautiful day to go support your local bookstore! Here are a few suggestions for stores that have my book on the shelf, or have carried it in the past and can easily order it in. But if … Continue reading Where to find my book?
Thank you to Veronique Synnott for asking me a series of thoughtful and challenging questions about The Garbage Poems for the Ex-Puritan. We talk about garbage, ableism, neoliberal politics, the politics of joy, ritual, hybrid text, creative collaboration with April White and much more. You can read it online here! Quotes from the article pictured … Continue reading Ex-Puritan Interview: On Swimming and the Puzzle of Constraint
I am honoured to have been shortlisted for the Raymond Souster Award and Longlisted for the Pat Lowther Award from the League of Canadian Poets. 2026 Raymond Souster Shortlist 2026 Pat Lowther Longlist And I am so moved by these comments from the jurors of the LCP Raymond Souster Award Shortlist: Anna Swanson’s The Garbage … Continue reading League of Canadian Poets Shortlists Announced!
I am thrilled and honoured that The Garbage Poems is a finalist for the Lamba Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry! Poems made out of re-arranged garbage words might sound fun and playful, and they are. Primarily this is a book about joy—swimming joy, embodied joy, queer joy, chronically ill and disabled joy. But it’s about … Continue reading Lammy Finalist for Bisexual Poetry!
Here's the list of places I'll be reading and launching the book this fall. I'll update dates and venues as they're confirmed! WOODY POINT, NL: August 21st: Writers at Woody Point Reading, 4pm, Merchant Warehouse, Free ST. JOHN'S, NL: August 26th: St. John's Launch at the Leyton Gallery, 6 Clift's Baird's Cove, 7pm, Free TORONTO … Continue reading Book Launches for The Garbage Poems
ID: Book cover for The Garbage Poems by Anna Swanson. Illustrations by April White. Light grey background with a gouache painting of a dark grey crushed can with teal, light green, and hot pink highlights. The title is a muted green with author/illustrator text in hot pink. I'm so thrilled to finally be able to … Continue reading And… we have a cover!
I am so honoured to have one of my poems included in this year's round of Opaat micropress pamphlets! My poem, "Blessing for the Matzah," was written at this time last year for use in a local community Seder and connects the story of Passover to the current day genocide ongoing in Gaza. Passover will … Continue reading Opaat Press Pamphlet
I wrote this poem/blessing trying to understand Passover in this time of genocide. After a recent online event where I read it, several people contacted me to ask for a copy to read at their family or Community Seder. I wanted to offer it to anyone who finds it meaningful for their Seder this year … Continue reading Blessing for the Matzah & Liberation Haggadah Resources
I am so pleased and grateful that my poem "Sweetness | מתיקות" was shortlisted for the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize. It’s a dissonant feeling to try to celebrate a good thing in this time of daily violence and genocide, but I’m glad it’s a poem which calls in various kinds of sweetness including the sweetness … Continue reading CBC Poetry Prize Shortlist
I am so grateful to Arcturus (published by the Chicago Review of Books) for giving a home to these two poems. The first has one of my favourite titles from the past few years. CW: One poem makes reference to suicidal ideation and emotionally abusive relationship dynamics. Read them here.
Anna Swanson 