NEWS RELEASE
November 28, 2004
For immediate release
Saskatchewan Book Awards 2004 Winners Announced
"The number of submissions for the Saskatchewan Book Awards broke all
records this year with 92 titles compared to the 71 received last year,"
said President Garrett Wilson. "Over fifty finalists were our celebrated
guests of honour at the Book Awards Gala held November 27 in Regina."
One of Canada's best-loved authors, Alistair MacLeod, IMPAC Dublin award winner for No Great Mischief, was the highly popular guest speaker.
Candace Savage walked away with both the Book of the Year and Non-fiction awards for her thoroughly researched and beautifully written book, Prairie: A Natural History (Greystone Books). Stunning photography illuminates the fascinating story of the making of the Great Plains of North America from millions of years ago to the envisioned future.
Another double winner was Beware the British Serpent (McGill-Queen's) by Robert Calder. This intriguing story of how British writers such as Noel Coward helped influence America to enter World War II, took both Scholarly Writing and the Saskatoon Book Awards.
Larry Gasper took home the Fiction award for Princes in Waiting (Coteau Books), a powerful collection of stories about young men you won’t soon forget. Beth Goobie added to her impressive collection of awards with the Children’s Literature award for her young adult’s novel, Flux (Orca Books).
Regina author Byrna Barclay, recently presented with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, took home the Regina Book Award, for her drama The Room with Five Walls (NeWest Press). The Poetry Award went to Gerald Hill for Getting to Know You (Spotted Cow Press).
The Prix du livre français, sponsored biennially by the Fondation fransaskoise, went to David Baudemont for Les beaux jours (Editions des Plaines), written with the participation of a group grade sevens and eights from l’École canadienne français de Saskatoon.
Swift Current author, Bonnie Dunlop, won the First Book award for her short story collection, The Beauty Box (Thistledown Press).
The First Peoples Publishing award went to Coteau Books for the poetry collection Gift of the Hawk by Randy Lundy, a member of the Barren Lands First Nation and Assistant Professor of English at the First Nations University of Canada.
Canadian Plains Research Center won the Award for Publishing for the beautifully produced and illustrated Water and Wetland Plants of the Prairie Provinces by Heinjo Lahring. Ron Rivard and Catherine Littlejohn won the Publishing in Education award for their story of the creation of a people, The History of the Metis of Willow Bunch.
Saskatchewan Book Awards Inc, a charitable organization, celebrates the best in Saskatchewan writing and publishing, and gratefully acknowledges funding from the cities of Regina and Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. For the complete list of finalists, as well a the award winners, visit the Saskatchewan book Awards web site at www.bookawards.sk.ca
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For information contact:
Joyce Wells, Executive Director:
Ph: 306-569-1585
director@bookawards.sk.ca