Saturday morning, East Pender Street by Y. S. Lee

Y. S. Leehas made the2021 CBC PoetryPrize longlistfor Saturday morning, East Pender Street.

• 31writers make the 2021 CBC Poetry Prize longlist

The winner of the 2021CBC PoetryPrizewill receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at theBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.

The shortlist will be announced on Nov. 18and the winner will be announced on Nov. 24.

If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, theCBC Nonfiction Prizeopens in January and theCBC PoetryPrizeopens in April.

About Y. S. Lee

Y. S. Lee's workhaswon Arc Poetry Magazine's Award of Awesomeness in July 2020 andshortlisted for Australian Book Review's 2021 Peter Porter Poetry Prize. Her fiction includes the YA mystery seriesThe Agency, which has beentranslated into six languages. Her first picture book is forthcoming from Groundwood Books. She lives in Kingston, Ont.

Entry in five-ish words

"Streetscape, child's eye, cloudy identity"

The poem's source of inspiration

"Vancouver's new notoriety as the anti-Asian hate crime capital of North America prompted me to think about its many waves of Asian immigration and related questions of race, language and belonging."

First lines

Wet sidewalk, glut of scents pressed close
in the shade: mineral rain, orange peel, saltfish, blunt
offal, blast of perming fluid. Midway down the block, sly
curl of wok hei I chase with my nose.
Don't get lost!
A cool adult hand squeezes mine.

About the 2021 CBC PoetryPrize

The winner of the 2021CBC PoetryPrizewill receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand attend a two-week writing residency at theBanff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.

The 2022CBC Nonfiction Prizewill open in January. The 2022CBC Poetry Prizewill open in April.