Alberta Poetry Yearbook
The Alberta Poetry Yearbook was an annual publication of entries into a poetry contest administered by the Canadian Authors Association, Edmonton, Alberta branch. The chapbook was published from 1930 until 1989, and the final year of publication was followed by a collection of the best work published in the annual volumes.
History
The Alberta Poetry Year Book was borne out of a meeting of the Edmonton Branch of the CAA in April 1930. A committee composed of members H. R. Leaver, J. H. Acheson, W. E. Edmonds and Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the former Premier of Alberta and the branch's honorary president. This committee was assisted by Edmonton Branch member Georgia May Cook and branch secretary Ida Alberta Scouten who served as editor. Through the Alberta Poetry Year Book, the Edmonton Branch sought to inspire Albertan, and later, Canadian, writers to draw inspiration from Canadian nature and subjects, in addition to awakening in a deeper patriotism and interest in their own country.The competition for the Alberta Poetry Year Book was formally opened in September 1930, with entrance open to all residents of the province. Crucially, however, no professional poets were permitted to submit poems. Modest cash prizes were offered for the best poems to entice submissions. Entry fees were also charged, largely to cover the cost of prizes, production, and distribution. Over eighty people made submissions, with 295 poems being received by the Edmonton Branch. Of these, thirty poems were selected for publication by the competitions judges: Evelyn Gowan Murphy, an accomplished author; Donald Ewing Cameron, the first librarian of the University of Alberta; and Mrs. Perren Baker, the spouse of Alberta's education minister Perren Baker. The chapbook was edited by Scouten, while the foreword was written by author, activist, and magistrate Emily Murphy, and the preface by Evelyn Gowan Murphy.
In December 1930, the Alberta Poetry Year Book was published and made available for purchase through local book stores. in Edmonton and Calgary Although the circulation market was small, the inaugural Alberta Poetry Year Book sold well, leading the Edmonton Branch to continue the competition. In 1931, the competition was expanded to include a "Junior Poetry Competition" and a "Short Story Contest." The former was open to all students under the age of 16, with the winner receiving a small cash prize and the publication of their poem in the Alberta Poetry Year Book. Meanwhile, the winner of the "Short Story Contest" had their story published in Alberta newspapers by the Edmonton Branch. In 1936, submissions were opened to all residents of western Canada, later expanded to any entrant from across Canada in 1940.
Although the circulation of the Alberta Poetry Year Book was limited, it made a small profit annually for the Edmonton Branch. However, in 1980, owing to decreasing submissions and rising costs, the Edmonton Branch made the decision to cancel the Alberta Poetry Year Book. Branch member Cora Taylor, however, decided to revive the competition later that year, and took up the position of editor to steward the competition. While the Alberta Poetry Year Book continued to be published for several more years, financial hardship led the Edmonton Branch to again cancel the year book in 1989, this time for good. In 1990, John W. Chalmers edited a collection of the best sixty years of the Alberta Poetry Year book, entitled Sixty Singing Years, with the editorial assistance of Cora Taylor and Elaine Moody.
Running for fifty-nine years, the Alberta Poetry Year Book served as an important poetry market and starting place for aspiring poets. Of the approximately 50,000 poems that were submitted over the fifty-nine years, roughly 1,600 were published.