BC Book Prizes

Congratulations to our Monthly Draw winner for December

Congratulations to Doris Freeston, our December winner for the Monthly Draw of BC books. She wins a copy of Everywhere Being is Dancing by Robert Bringhurst.

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Congratulations to our Monthly Draw winners

Congratulations Brenda McCarron from Kamloops! In September she won a copy of The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane by Polly Horvath, one of our 2008 winners.

Congratulations to Wendy Metcalf from Vancouver. She won the October draw for a copy of Interwoven Wild by Don Gayton, one of our 2008 finalists.

If you would like to be entered for a chance to win a BC Book Prizes book, simply sign up for news and alerts by subscribing on the left hand side of the website.

Posted by Monica Miller | Filed under: | Permalink

Three BCBP authors shortlisted for children’s book awards

Congratulations to Nan Gregory whose book Pink (shortlisted for Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize) has been named a finalist for the $10,000 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. Joining her on the list is Christie Harris Prize winner, Robert Heidbreder (A Sea-Wishing Day), whose book Lickety-Split is also in the running.

Meanwhile, John Wilson’s book The Alchemist’s Dream (shortlisted for the Sheila Egoff Children’s Literature Prize) is a finalist for the $5,000 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People.

Both awards will be announced November 6 and are administered by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

Posted by Liesl Jauk | Filed under: Announcements | Permalink

Congrats to the August Book Draw Winner

Doris Freeston is the lucky winner of a copy of Adam’s Peak by Heather Burt. Adam’s Peak was a finalist for this year’s Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and is published by The Dundurn Group.

Congratulations, Doris, and enjoy this stellar BC Book!

Posted by Martha Carscadden | Filed under: Announcements | Permalink

Gillian Wigmore Wins 2008 ReLit Poetry Award

We are very pleased to extend our congratulations to Gillian Wigmore, whose book, Soft Geography, won the 2008 ReLit Poetry Award. The ReLit Awards were founded in 2000 as an alternative to the big-money prizes. The awards are open to books published by independent Canadian literary publishers. ReLit is short for “Regarding Literature, Reinventing Literature, Relighting Literature…”. More about the ReLit Awards.

Posted by Martha Carscadden | Filed under: | Permalink

Congrats to our July BC Book Draw Winner

Laina Purcell is the lucky winner of a copy of Fortune’s A River: The Collision of Empires in the Pacific Northwest by Barry Gough. This title was a finalist for this year’s Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize.

Congratulations, Laina, and happy reading!

Posted by Martha Carscadden | Filed under: Announcements | Permalink

Audrey Thomas made Officer of the Order of Canada

On July 1, 2008, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced 75 new appointments to the Order of Canada. The new appointees include five Companions (C.C.), 26 Officers (O.C.), and 43 Members (C.M.), as well as one Honorary Officer. Among the Officers is three-time Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize winner, Audrey Thomas. The Galiano Island and Victoria-based short story writer and novelist won BC Book Prizes for Intertidal Life(1985), Wild Blue Yonder (1991) and Coming Down from Wa (1996). Her novel, Tattycoram, was shortlisted in 2006. Ms. Thomas has also received the $15,000 W.O. Mitchell Award (2001), the Marian Engel Award (1987), the $3,000 Canada-Australia Prize (1989), the Canada-Scotland Literary Fellowship (1985-86) and a National Magazine Award. More than 25 of her plays and stories have been broadcast on CBC. Congratulations, Audrey. More

Posted by Liesl Jauk | Filed under: Announcements | Permalink

Lisa Cinar’s work at ECIAD til July 28

Author and book designer Celia King has curated an exhibit of art books now on display in the Concourse Gallery of Emily Carr University (1399 Johnston St., Granville Island.) Among the popup books, sculptural books, fine press and more, you’ll find work by Lisa Cinar, whose book The Day It All Blew Away, featuring an odd-shaped protagonist called Mr. Tadaa, was shortlisted for the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize. Says Cinar, “When I was in school I always found myself doing my classes and doodling on my books. The characters came from all these doodles, and it was natural for the characters to look like that.” The exhibition opens July 10 and runs daily from 10 am to 6 pm. www.eciad.ca

Posted by Liesl Jauk | Filed under: More Author Events | Permalink

Symposium on the Book July 12, 2008

Symposium on the Book:
From Thrillers to True Crime: Inside the Art and Craft of Crime Writing

On July 12, crime writing aficionados and literary fiction connoisseurs alike will be stimulated and engaged in this year’s Symposium on the Book at SFU Harbour Centre.

Six of Canada’s top crime writers will join a crime fiction book reviewer, an editor of crime writing, and a mystery bookstore owner to discuss the subgenres of crime writing - thrillers, mysteries, cozies, detectives and true crime - and will also engage the audience with an in-depth look at the position of crime writing in Canada. Ticket price of $75 includes six books

For details, contact:
Suzanne Norman at 778-782-5241 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Annie Chen 778 782 5229, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Posted by Liesl Jauk | Filed under: | Permalink

Adopt-a-Library 2008

The 2008 BC Book Prizes On Tour was our biggest tour to date, bringing “real live authors” to literally thousands of children and adults around the province.
Last year we established the Adopt-a-Library program to leave a lasting, tangible legacy of these author visits: a library of BC Book Prize finalist books donated to libraries in BC schools. These books are purchased directly from the publishers with funding from local community-minded businesses and individuals, whose support is acknowledged in commemorative book plates.

In its fledgling year, the Adopt-a-Library program confirmed six sponsors supporting eight schools; this year we confirmed 14 sponsors donating a combined total of $13,000worth of books to 26 schools. Thanks to all for helping to bring the best of BC writing and publishing to the next generation of readers and authors.

Columbia Basin Trust
Glenmerry Elementary School, Trail
Prince Charles Secondary School, Creston
Amy Woodland Elementary School, Cranbrook
Twin Rivers Elementary School, Castlegar
Redfish Elementary School, Nelson

Nelson & District Credit Union
L.V. Rogers Secondary School, Nelson

16/37 Community Futures Development Corp.
Caledonia Senior Secondary School, Terrace

Rio Tinto Alcan
Kildala Elementary School, Kitimat
W.L. McLeod Elementary School, Vanderhoof

Bulkley Valley Credit Union
Smithers Secondary School, Smithers

London Drugs
Immaculate Conception Elementary School, Prince George
Kay Bingham Elementary School, Kamloops
Kidston Elementary School, Vernon
Ellison Elementary School, Kelowna
Uplands Elementary School, Penticton

Valley First Credit Union
Kelowna Secondary School, Kelowna

Spruce Credit Union
Kelly Road Secondary School, Prince George
Heather Park Middle School, Prince George

Integris Credit Union
Beaverley Elementary School, Prince George
Westwood Elementary School, Prince George

Hewitt Associates
Hastings Elementary School, Vancouver

Rogers’ Chocolates
Charles Dickens Elementary School, Vancouver
Gladstone Secondary School, Vancouver

CCEC Credit Union
Grandview Elementary School, Vancouver

Quills Poetry Magazine
Vancouver Technical Secondary School, Vancouver

Rita Wong and the Asian Canadian Studies Society
Burnaby Mountain Secondary School

Posted by Liesl Jauk | Filed under: | Permalink