The Atlantic Book Awards Society recently announced the full shortlist for the nine different book prizes that make up the 2012 Atlantic Book Awards. Of the 26 books up for awards, four are written by New Brunswick authors. Congratulations to Riel Nason of Quispamis, Jacques Poitras of Fredericton, Susan White of Clifton Royal, and Doug Underhill of Miramichi.
The awards represent the wide range of literary works being produced in Atlantic Canada—from traditional novels to cutting edge fiction; thought-provoking non-fiction and deeply researched books on Atlantic Canadian history, to beautiful coffee table books; and illustrated children’s picture books to novels written for teens and young adults.
The 2012 Atlantic Book Awards and Festival runs May 10–17 with free literary events taking place in all four Atlantic Provinces. Festival details will be available at www.atlanticbookawards.ca in the coming weeks.
Winners of the 2012 Atlantic Book Awards will be announced at a special awards show on the last night of the week-long festival, Thursday, May 17, at 7:00 p.m. at the LSPU Hall in St. John’s, Newfoundland, marking the first time this event has ventured outside Nova Scotia. Newfoundland comedienne Amy House hosts the awards celebration, which also features a performance by Andy Jones. Tickets for the awards celebration are $12; they are available at the LSPU Hall box office, by phone at 709-753-4531, or online at rca.nf.ca.
The board of the non-profit Atlantic Book Awards Society is made up of representatives of the Atlantic Canadian book and writing community. The 2012 Atlantic Book Awards and Festival gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canada Book Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the sponsorship of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation; the City of St. John’s; the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association; Advocate Printing; The Chronicle Herald; The Telegram; The Guardian; and The Telegraph-Journal.
The 2012 Atlantic Book Awards Shortlist
Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature
Vicki Grant, Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret (HarperCollins Canada)
Gloria Ann Wesley, Chasing Freedom (Roseway Publishing)
Susan White, The Year Mrs. Montague Cried (Acorn Press)
APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award, sponsored by Friesens
Eco-Innovators: Sustainability in Atlantic Canada by Chris Benjamin (Nimbus Publishing)
Salmon Country by Doug Underhill, photographs by André Gallant (Goose Lane Editions)
That Forgetful Shore by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole (Breakwater Books)
Dartmouth Book Award for Non-fiction in Memory of Robbie Robertson, presented by the Kiwanis Club of Dartmouth
Carol Campbell and James F. Smith, Necessaries and Sufficiencies: Planter Society in Londonderry, Onslow and Truro, 1761-1780 (Cape Breton University Press)
Dianne Marshall, Heroes of the Acadian Resistance (Formac Publishing)
Harry Thurston, The Atlantic Coast: A Natural History (Greystone Books, in association with the David Suzuki Foundation)
Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing
Carol Campbell and James F. Smith, Necessaries and Sufficiencies: Planter Society in Londonderry, Onslow and Truro, 1761-1780 (Cape Breton University Press)
James E. Candow, The Lookout: A History of Signal Hill (Creative Book Publishing)
Jacques Poitras, Imaginary Line: Life on an Unfinished Border (Goose Lane Editions)
Jim Connors Dartmouth Book Award (Fiction), presented by Boyne Clarke
Mary Rose Donnelly, Great Village (Cormorant Books)
Bruce Graham, Diligent River Daughter (Pottersfield Press)
Frank Macdonald, A Possible Madness (Cape Breton University Press)
Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration
Doretta Groenendyk, Thank You for My Bed (Acorn Press)
Patsy MacKinnon, A Day with You in Paradise by Lennie Gallant (Nimbus Publishing)
Sydney Smith, Monkeys in My Kitchen by Sheree Fitch (Nimbus Publishing)
Margaret and John Savage First Book Award
Heather Jessup, The Lightning Field (Gaspereau Press)
Michael Murphy, A Description of the Blazing World (Freehand Books)
Riel Nason, The Town That Drowned (Goose Lane Editions)
Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award for Fiction
Gerard Collins, Moonlight Sketches (Creative Book Publishing)
Kevin Major, New Under the Sun (Cormorant Books)
Patrick Warner, double talk (Breakwater Books)
The Bruneau Family Children’s/Young Adult Literature Award
Andy Jones, Jack and the Manger (Running the Goat Books & Broadsides)
Susan M. MacDonald, Edge of Time (Breakwater Books)
Janet McNaughton, Dragon Seer’s Gift (HarperCollins Canada)
