Nominees for the 28th annual BC Book Prizes were announced recently. Two Pender Harbour authors and one Roberts Creek illustrator were among the chosen few.
John Pass was nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize awarded to the author of the best work of poetry. His entry (Harbour Publishing) was for crawlspace, his first volume of poetry since Pass won the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry in 2006. He and his wife, Theresa Kishkan, have been travelling in Europe, teaching in the Czech Republic, and on their last night in that country, Pass received a hint that the forthcoming Book Prize announcement might be in his favour. Both were happy about the news, but their excitement doubled when they arrived in London and Kishkan also received notice that her book, Mnemonic: A Book of Trees (Goose Lane Editions) was nominated for the Hubert Evans non-fiction prize awarded to the author of the best original non-fiction literary work.
"We took ourselves out for a celebratory dinner," Kishkan said.
Since returning to their Sakinaw Lake home, Kish-kan has already been to a conference of arbourists in Parksville to give a presentation. Although Mnemonic is not a tree identification book - the literary work weaves mythology and natural history into narrative - it was well received by those who love trees.
Both authors have had experience with awards: Pass for Stumbling in the Bloom (Oolichan) and Kishkan for her 2008 nomination for Phantom Limb (Thistledown).
Coast illustrator Kim LaFave was nominated in the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize presented to the best illustrated book written for children. He created the visuals for Grandpa's Girls by Nicola I. Campbell (Groundwood Books), his third collaboration with this particular author. The previous books explored themes related to First Nations residential schools and were intense in their message.
"This one was lighter," LaFave said, "and more fun to work on."
It describes a nostalgic summer spent at Grandpa's farm, meeting the cousins and getting up to all sorts of activities.
A collective purse of $14,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to nominees and they will be celebrated at a soirée event in Vancouver in the coming weeks. The winners in seven categories will be announced at the Lieutenant Governor's BC Book Prizes gala on Saturday, May 12. The Honourable Steven L. Point will be in attendance.
A selection of the short-listed authors will be part of BC Book Prizes On Tour that will take finalists to schools, bookstores and public libraries in many communities throughout B.C. at the end of April.
