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winner! hilary weston prize

November 14, 2012 //

Hon. Hilary M. Weston presents the prize to Candace Savage

No rest for the wicked after the Writers’ Trust Awards on November 7. Team WT jumped straight back in to glam prize-giving mode for the awarding of the second-annual Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction on Monday, November 12. The pink-carpet event was held at Toronto’s Koerner Hall.

At stake: the largest literary prize awarded annually to a work of Canadian nonfiction, and at $60,000, a prize pot bigger than the Giller.

The nominees were announced September 25. Read about that here.

The winner *drum roll* Canadace Savage for A Geography of Blood.

First they shock you, then they make you speak to a room full of people.”

Candace said as she arrived at the podium to accept her award. And then,

Mrs. Weston, I hope you understand how much your very tangible expression of support means, not just to your shortlisted authors, but to the entire literary community in Canada.”

Candace embarked on a whirlwind of publicity, including:

Canada AM
Global Saskatoon
CBC Radio One Saskatchewan Morning
CBC Live
Globe Parties
Prairie Post
Southwest Booster
Maclean’s (a neat little Twitter diary of how the night played out)

Thanks to the National Post for their “Story Behind the Story” series with the nominees and Writers’ Trust Awards hub, and for running full-page excerpts in their Comments & Ideas section in the lead-up to the announcement.

Thanks to CBC Books for being awesome media partners ad for all their #WestonPrize contesting, Q&As, audio coverage and so much more.

Looking forward to next year already (after a small literary nap, perhaps).

 

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Categories Literary Awards, Publicity

winners! writers’ trust awards 2012

November 9, 2012 //

Shelagh Rogers hosts the 12th annual Writers' Trust Awards

On November 7, at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto, the Writers’ Trust of Canada presented six of the country’s most prestigious literary prizes at the 12th annual Writers’ Trust Awards.

The winners were:

Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize: Tamas Dobozy for Siege 13. Dobozy, who won $25,000,  was shocked and delighted, and dedicated the award to his father.

Writers’ Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize: Alex Pugsley, who won $10,000 for his short story “Crisis on Earth-X.”

Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award for a writer in mid-career: Nino Ricci won $25,000 and delivered a poignant speech about the writer’s lot that was subsequently printed in the Toronto Star.

The real purpose of award ceremonies like this one,” he said, “is not so much to honour particular individuals as to raise all boats, and to remind us that literature is still here, alive and kicking, for all the announcements of its impending demise.”

Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of a Writing Life: Jean Little, beloved author of more than 50 books for children, won $20,000. Jean’s seeing-eye dog, Honey, stood faithfully by her side as she accepted the award.

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature: Paul Yee, the Chinese-Canadian Children’s author of Ghost Train and Tales from Gold Mountain, won $20,000. This year marked the 50th awarding of the Vicky Metcalf.

The Writers’ Trust Distinguished Contribution Award this year went to the Metcalf Foundation for their sponsorship, since its inception, of the Vicky Metcalf Award.

In total, $114 000 in prizes were given out to Canadian writers. To see what the media had to say about the event, check out the links below:

National Post

Toronto Star

CBC

Globe and Mail (video c/o Canadian Press)

Quill & Quire

 

 

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Categories Literary Awards, Publicity

and the nonfiction nominees are …

September 25, 2012 //

Barbara Amiel Black, James Bartleman, Marni Jackson, Galen Weston and others applaud the shortlist announcement

At an elegant event at Loblaws at Maple leaf Gardens this morning (prosciutto-wrapped delicacies at 11 am!) we announced the shortlist for the $60,000 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

This just a few days after we announced  an arrangement with Loblaw Companies that will see the nominated books promoted in more than 200 stores across Canada (this is huge, and we’re tickled pink).

The five contenders are:

Kamal Al-Solaylee, Intolerable: A Memoir of Extremes (HarperCollins Publishers)

Modris Eksteins, Solar Dance: Genius, Forgery, and the Crisis of Truth in the Modern Age (Knopf Canada)

Taras Grescoe, Straphanger: Saving our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile (HarperCollins Publishers)

JJ Lee, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit (McClelland & Stewart)

Candace Savage, Geography of Blood: Unearthing Memory from a Prairie Landscape (Greystone Books/David Suzuki Foundation)

Also announced was the addition of Seamus O’Regan and Barbara Amiel Black to the jury.

The winner will be announced on Nov. 12th.

Here’s a roundup of some coverage:

Photo Gallery

National Post

CBC

CBC Live

Toronto Star

Quill & Quire

Vancouver Sun

Humber News

 

 

 

 

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Categories Literary Awards, Publicity

place your bets! it’s shortlist time

September 19, 2012 //

 

This morning, in Toronto’s  Ben McNally Books, we (the staff at the Writers’ Trust, along with jurors Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer and Drew Hayden Taylor) announced the shortlists for the 2012 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and Writers’ Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize for short fiction.

The nominees are:

Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

Writers’ Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize:

Here’s a roundup of some of the media:

National Post

Globe and Mail

Toronto Star

Quill & Quire

CBC

Both prizes will be presented at the 12th annual Writers’ Trust Awards on Nov. 7th.


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Categories Literary Awards, Publicity

politics and the pen

April 30, 2012 //

Ballroom at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Photo: Steve Gerecke

On April 25, the Politics and the Pen gala, held at Ottawa’s Fairmont Chateau Laurier and attended by 500 guests from the political and literary arenas, raised $300,000 to support Writers’ Trust of Canada programmes.

The $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing was presented to Richard Gwyn for Nation Maker, the second volume in his biography of John A. Macdonald.

The Cable Public Affairs Channel was there to capture some of the atmosphere at the cocktail reception before the main dinner: “A who’s who of Canada’s political and literary communities.” Watch the video.

It’s the one night of the year where we get to really celebrate writing, and political writing in particular…It’s always a great night and celebration.” — Bob Rae, Interim Leader, Liberal Party of Canada

What I like about this prize is it’s the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize. Shaughnessy Cohen was a really lovely person…and she was a person of quality…and Shaughnessy Cohen’s quality affects this whole outfit.” — Richard Gwyn, winner, Shaughnessy Cohen Prize

Well it’s fun, number one … It gives people in the political world a chance to talk to people who have the time and the intelligence, the intellect and the ability to use the English or French language to communicate important ideas. And frankly I think all politicians would do a lot better if they read more and talked less.” — Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada

On the award:

The Globe and Mail talked to Richard Gwyn and Max and Monique Nemni in advance of the announcement about what makes a great PM.

The Huffington Post ran excerpts from the five nominated books.

Open Book: Toronto did a Q&A with each of the nominees.

Samara Canada ran Q&As alongside a contest and online poll for their readers’ favourite (which Gwyn also won).

On Politics and the Pen:

The Ottawa Citizen, Hill Times, Ottawa Magazine, Maclean’s and iPolitics were all there, cameras in hand.

Oh, and the co-hosts, Ambassadors both, had a boxing match and engaged a little good-natured ribbing of Canada/USA stereotypes at the top of the event. The Ottawa Citizen captured the “fight” on video.

Co-hosts David Jacobson, Ambassador of the USA to Canada, and Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the USA, arm wrestle at the Politics and the Pen gala. Photo: Jake Wright

 

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Categories Fundraisers, Literary Awards, Publicity

hana’s suitcase ten years on

April 20, 2012 //

Ten years after it was first published, Hana’s Suitcase — the story of a Czech girl murdered during the Holocaust and, 50 years later, of a Japanese educator’s search to find out what happened to the “Waisenkind” whose suitcase came into her possession — remains a school staple and family favourite. Its author, Karen Levine (along with Fumiko Ishioka, the Japanese educator, and George Brady, Hana’s older brother who survived the Holocaust and settled in Toronto) has travelled the world talking to school children about the lessons to be learned from Hana’s story — of history, of acceptance, of speaking up to protect others.

On the tenth anniversary, Second Story Press released Hana’s Suitcase Anniversary Album, adding new stories: letters from children around the world who have been inspired by Hana’s Suitcase; reflections from Karen, Fumiko and George on how reaction to the book changed their lives; images of drawings and a quilt inspired by the book and created by school children; covers and posters from the book’s dozens of foreign editions and stage and screen adaptations.

The new book, Hana’s Suitcase Anniversary Album,  launched on April 19, 2012, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Second Story publisher Margie Wolfe noted:

With Fumiko’s determination and desire to do the right thing … She transformed a story that would only have been for George and in his memory … to one with a message that is for all ages, all peoples, all cultures.”

Karen and Margie talked to Quillcast about their journey with Hana’s story, and an interview with Karen on CBC’s The Next Chapter will air on May 14 and 19.

On launch day, Karen gave a presentation to 150 enrapt school kids (and their teachers) at the Barbara Frum Library in Toronto.

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kobzar literary award

March 3, 2012 //

Photo: James Di Donato

Did you know that Canada is home to the world’s third largest population of Ukrainians? Neither did I, until I was approached by the Kobzar Literary Award to publicize their 2012 event.

A $25,000 prize that recognizes Canadian writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama or young people’s literature whose work centres on a Ukrainian Canadian theme, the Kobzar Literary Award is handed out every two years by the Shevchenko Foundation. This was the fourth awarding.

Thanks to everyone who supported the event. The dedicated core of literature lovers at the $250-a-ticket ceremony kept the winner and nominees signing books until at least an hour after the dinner was over.

Congratulations to Shandi Mitchell, who won for her debut novel, Under This Unbroken Sky, and to the nominees Laryssa Andrusyshyn, Myrna Kostash, Myroslav Shkandrij, and Rhea Tregebov.

Read and hear more about it at the CBC, National Post, Open Book: Toronto, Quill & Quire, and The 49th Shelf.

Looking forward to the next event in 2014!

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Categories Literary Awards, Publicity

political page turners

February 22, 2012 //

The nominees for the 12th annual Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing have been announced, with bugs, border crossings, and — for this not-quite-yet-Canadian — a booster course in Canadian political history that will prove very useful when I get to sit the citizenship test.

Congratulations to Ron Graham, Richard Gwyn, Max & Monique Nemni and their translator George Tombs, Andrew Nikiforuk, and Jacques Poitras.

The winner will be announced at the Politics and the Pen Gala in Ottawa on April 25.

Watch a video about Shaughnessy Cohen’s “drive to find the truth,” how she got a reputation for having all the best gossip, and why Margaret Atwood thought her “a force of nature.”

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Categories Literary Awards, Publicity

writers at night

November 27, 2011 //

The Writers' Trust Gala medals awaiting the guest authors who will wear them.

On November 24 the 26th annual Writers’ Trust Gala raised $190,000 to support the Writers’ Trust’s many programmes. Held at the Four Seasons Hotel, the black-tie event attracted nearly 500 guests: a who’s who of Canadian business, society, arts and, of course, the literary community. Sequins, sparkles and fuschia were in abundance. and everyone had a swelligant time.

I was the publicist for the event. Thanks to everyone who supported it, including:

Globe and Mail
Toronto Life
Open Book Toronto, which also ran a great “Writers at Night” series before the event
Quill & Quire

Party dress away until next year (well, maybe until the next Christmas party…).

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Categories Fundraisers, Publicity

and the winner is …

November 3, 2011 //

On November 1, Patrick deWitt took home the $25,000 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for The Sisters Brothers. But it wasn’t the only award handed out that night. Over five other awards, the Writers’ Trust swept the country, honoring writers from Newfoundland to Gabriola Island, BC. As publicist for the full set of awards I moved back and forth through six time zones that day (thank you free Gmail phone).

The cross-Canada winners were:

Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize: Patrick deWitt (lives Portland, OR; born Victoria, BC) for The Sisters Brothers.
He talked to CityTV about his win.

Writers’ Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize: Miranda Hill (Hamilton, ON) for “Petitions to Saint Chronic”
Miranda  was the Guest Editor of The Afterword last week.

Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award for a writer in mid-career: Wayne Johnston (lives Toronto, ON; hails from and writes about Newfoundland)
The St. John’s Telegram covered Wayne’s win.

Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of a Writing Life: David Adams Richards (Fredericton, NB)
David was interviewed on CBC Radio One’s As it Happens the following afternoon. (listen to part 3)

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature: Iain Lawrence (Gabriola Island, BC)

Writers’ Trust Award for Distinguished Contribution: Alma Lee (Vanoucver, BC)
The Vancouver Sun published a story about Alma’s win.

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