photo Chris Hancock Donaldson

“Considering the vision Lane brought to bear on these poems over five decades—of suffering as a universal determinant, of a pitiless submission to the bedrock of Time and mortality—it amounts to no small miracle that they acquit themselves throughout with such a lucid, generous eye for the unsung and excluded; and such an abiding dignity in their rhythms of blind continuance, cyclic return, and compromised peace. Patrick Lane’s poems walked to the edge of a precipice—in that moment of emergency we might still see the outline of a nation trying to wake up.”   —Ken Babstock

Patrick Lane’s most recent collection of poetry, Washita, is available from Harbour Publishing and independent book stores that stock poetry.

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NEWS
MAY 2016
In a convocation ceremony on May 27, 2016, University of Northern British Columbia presented Patrick Lane with an Honorary Doctorate. Read a transcript of his convocation address here. 

May 19: As part of the Gordon Smith Lecture Series, the Centre for Global Studies in cooperation with Royal Roads Unversity presented Minutes to Midnight – Why 865 Order of Canada Recipients Call for Nuclear Disarmament lecture and book launch with Murray Thomson. Patrick Lane was one of a group who presented their pieces in person. Read his call for disarmament here.

JANUARY 2016
In a convocation ceremony on January 28, 2016, Vancouver Island University presented Patrick Lane with an Honorary Doctor of Letters. Watch a video of his speech here (scroll down to the second video) or read a transcript of his address to graduates here.

NOVEMBER 2015 
Brick Books is celebrating Canadian poetry by featuring a different poet every week. In week 48, poet Crystal Hurdle presents a poem she wrote for Patrick Lane. Read the poem and back story here.

OCTOBER 7, 2015 
Patrick Lane’s most recent collection, Washita, has been nominated for the 2015 Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry. Mr. Lane has been nominated several times before, and won the award in 1978 for Poems New and Selected.

Interview
The Toronto Quarterly interviewed Patrick Lane about his new book, Washita. Patrick answered many questions about writing and about poetry and was asked to describe, in terms of writing, his idea of a perfect day. Read his answer here.
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The Order of Canada

On November 21, 2014, Governor General David Johnston presented Patrick Lane with the Order of Canada, recognizing his more than 50 years of contribution to Canadian poetry and literature.

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Patrick Lane is our most essential poet: tough, tender, fearless, and beautifully dangerous. For decades he has been our guide to darkness,
and our provider of unexpected flashes of brilliant, almost blinding light.
Now gathered together in one spot, the poetry of his life enhances
and energizes us, and takes us to places we would never go on our own.
Lane is a true Master. 

— Jane Urquhart

Available at bookstores and through Harbour Publishing.