Magebane has been shortlisted for the Regina Book Award in this year’s Saskatchewan Book Awards
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The Regina Book Award is described this way: “In recognition of the vitality of the literary community in Regina, this award is presented to a Regina author (or pair of authors) for the best book, judged on the quality of writing.”
Other shortlisted in the same category: Mark Cronlund Anderson & Carmen L. Robertson, for Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers (University of Manitoba Press); Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton for Call of the Fiddle (Gabriel Dumont Institute; illustrated by Sherry Farrell Racette and translated by Norman Fleury), Britt Holmström for Leaving Berlin (Thistledown Press), and Alison Lohans for Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn Press Ltd.).
The awards will be announced and presented at a gala dinner at the Conexus Arts Centre on April 28.
This is the fifth time I’ve been shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award. Spirit Singer won the Regina Book Award in 2002 (that’s when the photo is from). Soulworm was shortlisted for best first novel in 1997 and The Dark Unicorn for best children’s book in 1998. J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Imaginary Worlds was shortlisted for (if I remember right) best children’s book in…2005, maybe?
It’s nice to be nominated. It’s even nicer to win, since it comes with a substantial sum!
UPDATE: It clearly pays to attend the news conference. I was featured on the CBC-TV spot about the announcement, talking about how important the recognition is to Saskatchewan writers, and I also managed to get myself featured in the Global TV and Regina Leader Post stories…although there are others nominated in multiple categories, and I’m only shortlisted in the one. So, win or not, I sure got good publicity out of it!
