This morning at Ben McNally Books on Bay Street in Toronto, the Writers' Trust of Canada announced the finalists for the 10th annual Writers' Trust Awards.
Nominees for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize, and the Writers' Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize, for short fiction, were unveiled this morning at the press conference. Nominees include a Man Booker Prize finalist, duelling brother and sister novelists, a husband and wife team, and, a first for the Writers' Trust, the nomination of a graphic memoir.
The winners of these awards along with four other prizes will be announced on November 2, 2010, at an awards ceremony in Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre, hosted by CBC Radio One broadcast journalist Shelagh Rogers. Total prize money awarded that evening to Canadian writers will amount to $147,000, making it one of the richest prize-giving nights in Canada.
Here are the finalists:
ROGERS WRITERS' TRUST FICTION PRIZE ($25,000)
Sponsored by Rogers Communications Inc.
The jury of Lisa Moore, Andrew Pyper, and Eden Robinson read 143 titles submitted by 46 publishers. Each finalist for this prize receives $2,500.
Trevor Cole for Practical Jean, McClelland & Stewart
Emma Donoghue for Room, HarperCollins Publishers
Michael Helm for Cities of Refuge, McClelland & Stewart
Kathleen Winter for Annabel, House of Anansi Press
Michael Winter for The Death of Donna Whalen, Hamish Hamilton Canada
WRITERS' TRUST NON-FICTION PRIZE ($25,000)
The jury of Hadani Ditmars, Sid Marty, and Michael Mitchell read 84 titles submitted by 44 publishers. Each finalist for this prize receives $2,500.
James FitzGerald for What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son's Quest to Redeem the Past, Random House Canada
Ross King for Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, Douglas & McIntyre/McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Sarah Leavitt for Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother and Me, Freehand Books
John Theberge and Mary Theberge for The Ptarmigan's Dilemma: An Exploration into How Life Organizes and Supports Itself, McClelland & Stewart
Merrily Weisbord for The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das, McGill-Queen's University Press
WRITERS' TRUST OF CANADA/McCLELLAND & STEWART JOURNEY PRIZE ($10,000)
Made possible by James A. Michener's donation of his Canadian royalty earnings from his 1988 novel Journey.
The Journey Prize recognizes the best short story or excerpt from a novel-in-progress by a new and developing writer that had its first publication in a Canadian literary journal in the previous year. The jury of Pasha Malla, Joan Thomas, and Alissa York read 74 stories submitted by 31 literary magazines. The journal that published the winning entry receives $2,000. McClelland & Stewart published a selection of this year's entries in The Journey Prize Stories 22.
Devon Code for "Uncle Oscar," The Malahat Review
Krista Foss for "The Longitude of Okay," Grain Magazine
Lynne Kutsukake for "Mating," The Dalhousie Review
"The number one goal for the Writers' Trust is to encourage and support our Canadian writers and to underscore the fact that we have incredible world-class talent in all corners of the country," said Peter Kahnert, Writers' Trust Chair and senior vice president, corporate communications and marketing, Raymond James Ltd. "The future for Canadian literature is a bright one, and we are honoured to add this year's set of finalists to our ever-growing list of great Canadian authors who have earned recognition from the Writers' Trust."
Four additional prizes for a body of work will be presented at the Writers' Trust Awards ceremony:
Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of a Writing Life ($20,000)
Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature ($20,000)
Writers' Trust Award for Distinguished Contribution
Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award ($25,000)
About the Writers' Trust of Canada
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a charitable organization that supports Canadian writers and writing through various programs, including literary awards, financial grants, workshops, scholarships, and a writers' retreat. Canada's writers receive more financial support from the Writers' Trust than from any other non-governmental organization or foundation in the country. For more information visit writerstrust.com or twitter.com/writerstrust.
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