Barrier Reef, New Year's Eve Day & Photographing Bison by Katie Jordon

Katie Jordon has made the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize longlist for Barrier Reef, New Year's Eve Day & Photographing Bison.

• 30 writers make longlist for the 2018CBC Poetry Prize

About Katie

Katie Jordon completed her MFA in creative writing at the University of Guelph. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as the Malahat Review, Poetry is Dead, Carousel and the Puritan. She was a finalist in Contemporary Verse 2's 2018 2-Day Poem Contest. She lives in Toronto.

Entry in five-ish words

The inherent issues with eco-tourism.

The poem's source of inspiration

"My two poems originated from separate experiences travelling to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Roatn and Yellowstone National Park. I wanted to write about the intricate ecosystems that I had visited, as well as their problematic commodificationand their leaving impressions of beauty, scarcity and survival."

First lines

i.
From the sinew of coconuts,
fruit flies dream of porcelain saucers,
the silver aisles of our utensils.

Breakfast is taken with the island's
black birds on the terrace. Hordes of clouds
chew on the sea and hork it back out.

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.