About CV2

It is the vision-quest of Contemporary Verse 2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing to get as many readers as possible to try poetry and like it. It is a mission we take very seriously and to this end CV2 publishes an exciting range of interviews, essays, articles and reviews together with new poetic writing to create a lively discussion on the art of poetry, the poets, and the issues. CV2 currently features content primarily in English, but it continues to accept the same range of writing in French for publication in its pages.

CV2 is all about poetry and about all poetry. Published four times a year out of Winnipeg, CV2 is nationally respected for its openness to a diverse range of poets and poetic styles. From fresh to familiar and from traditional lyric to extreme language wrangling—we’re not afraid to take it on.

CV2 is published by Contemporary Verse 2 Inc., a registered charity which has made it a mission to: Advance the understanding and appreciation of contemporary poetry through the publication of Contemporary Verse 2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing and related activities. Some of these related activities include internships, readings, workshops and the development of an educational resource for teaching poetry in the classroom. 

History of CV2

Contemporary Verse 2 was founded by Dorothy Livesay in 1975. Beginning as Contemporary Verse II: A Quarterly of Canadian Poetry Criticism, CVII was established, according to Dorothy Livesay, to take up where Contemporary Verse, an important venue for Canadian poets in the 1940s and early 1950s had left off. CVII began as a forum for critical discussion about Canadian poetry, because Editor-Chief Dorothy Livesay felt there were few literary journals outside the academy at that time attempting to present an ongoing discussion of the literary merits of Canadian poetry. In the years since its inception, CVII (which became CV2 in the mid-eighties) has continued to be an important publication for new poetry, poets and the discussion of new poetic writing in our country. CV2 has survived a number of major transformations over the many years of its existence. Originally a publication of poetic criticism, CV2 has been a more general poetry publication, a well known publication of feminist poetry and writing, and for a brief time engaged in a very short, unsuccessful tryst with micro-fiction, but in the end Contemporary Verse 2 has never wandered far from its poetic roots. Today it remains as the only national poetry magazine that continues to publish four times a year.

In 2001, CV2 became Contemporary Verse 2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing, embarking on its most recent transformation and the magazine that readers today will find on their local newsstands. In a happy meeting of past and present, CV2 continues with its expressed commitment of keeping the discussion of Canadian poetry fresh, lively, and open to the widest possible range of poetic perspectives and voices, with in-depth interviews, thoughtful essays, intelligent reviews and the finest new Canadian poetry.