The Town Game by Angeline O'Neill

Angeline O'Neill has made the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize longlist for The Town Game.

• 30 writers make longlist for the 2018CBC Poetry Prize

About Angeline

You won't know Angeline's hometown, but it's close to Peterborough, Ont. She grew up on a farm, but found herself drawn to the west and the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. She currently lives in Canmore with her francophone husband, two bilingual children, two cats and a puppy named Mystic. When she's not writing, you can find her out running wild and free in her obscenely beautiful backyard.

Entry in five-ish words

We are all from somewhere.

The poem's source of inspiration

"Upon arrival in the west, I was made aware that many Easterners play the town game. When asked where we are from, we start with a 'do you know (insert large city here)?'and work our way smaller in population, until just before our subject loses interest. Five months ago I received a Facebook message from my friend Joey in Saskatoon who sniffed out the start of the town game at a party. He actually stopped the guy from playing and demanded to know the name of his actual town. Joey discovered too quickly that Jeff is from the next smallest town from mine! That inspired me to dig out the skeleton of this poem and finally finish it. It's all part of the game!"

First lines

You know Toronto?
Well
I'm not from there
but I did go to a Jay's game
with Mrs. O'Neill's Grade 7 class
the year before they won the World Cup.

I went to my only rave there
with Jerimiah who didn't know Three Dog Night.
Lost in a phone booth on Jane and Finch
protected by our innocence
we made it to the secret spot.

About the 2018CBCPoetry Prize

The winner of the 2018CBCPoetry Prizewill receive$6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, will have their work published onCBC Booksandwill have the opportunity to attend a writing residency attheBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.