The Al Purdy A-frame Association

The Al Purdy A-frame Association (APAFA) is delighted to announce the longlist for the 2025 Al & Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize. The $10,000 prize honours the most outstanding new poetry book published in Canada in 2024 by an established poet with five or more traditionally published poetry books. The shortlist will be released on March…

Congratulations to Liz Huntly/Jensch, selected as the first Steven Heighton Fellowship recipient. She will join eight others in the Writer-in-Residence program at the Al Purdy A-frame in Ameliasburgh in 2025. Huntly is an amphibious artist – creative writer, visual artist, musician, and artisanal baker. She holds diplomas in graphic design and multidisciplinary design, and a…

Looking back at 2024 it has been a year of surprises and great opportunities. Because of the significant work happening at the A-frame there was not the usual coming and going of poets and writers but, as reported in earlier newsletters, we did organize a number of events locally and online including workshops, readings, literary…

As a result of the Canada Post strike, the submission deadline for the Al & Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize has been extended to December 15th. If you intend to send books via courier, please contact the prize coordinator at prizecoordinator@shaw.ca to request the alternate address.

Eurithe Purdy and the Al Purdy A-frame Association (APAFA) invite submissions for the 2025 Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize. The $10,000 prize will honour the most outstanding new poetry book published in Canada in 2024 by an established poet with five or more traditionally published poetry books in print. The recipient of the 2025…

We are very proud and excited to announce the new Steven Heighton Fellowship, which commences in 2025. The Fellowship was created by the Al Purdy A-frame Association (APAFA) – in collaboration with the Department of English and Creative Writing at Queen’s University and Kingston WritersFest – to provide recipients with a blend of benefits and…

The Al Purdy A-frame Association (APAFA) is pleased to announce it has been awarded an Operating grant from the Ontario Arts Council (OAC). The grant program supports not-for-profit organizations that promote Canadian literature, engage literary artists in arts education activities, and assist literary artists to hone their craft. All these activities are part of the…

Al Purdy’s widow, Eurithe, has launched a literary prize to recognize the best new book of poetry in Canada, the Canadian Press reported. The Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize will offer a $10,000 award annually to a poet who embodies “exceptional talent and a profound connection to the Canadian spirit,” said a release. Eurithe…

FROM THE LIBRARY TO THE CEMETERY: A TALK AND A WALK Poet Phil Hall will talk about his work, including his new book, Vallejo’s Marrow, and will read especially from his long poem about Al Purdy called “An Oak Hunch.” This will be followed by a group walk to Al Purdy’s grave in the Ameliasburgh…

Over the past few years we have offered online workshops to enthusiastic response. The goal is to give access to high-quality and imaginative workshops at an affordable cost. A-frame Pastiches: Writing in Tribute to Al Purdy Two 90-minute sessions with John Barton March 23 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET April 6 11 a.m.…