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On behalf of the Saskatchewan Book Awards, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (SWG) and the Regina Public Library (RPL) are pleased to present the Saskatchewan Book Awards 2023 Shortlist Announcement.
The shortlist announcement will be made by RPL Writer-in-Residence, Pam Bustin.
The announcement will take place in person on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm on the second-floor mezzanine at the RPL Central Branch (2311 - 12th Avenue) and online.
The online presentation will be available to stream live through YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF_IuZX616A
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SBA Awards Ceremony - June 23, 2022

The 2022 SBA Winners are listed below! or PDF: 2022_SK_Book_Awards_Winners_Press_Release.pdf
AWARDS FOR AUTHORS:
Ministry of Parks, Culture, and Sport First Book Award:
Only If We’re Caught (Thistledown Press) by Theressa Slind
University of Saskatchewan, President’s Office, Non-Fiction Award:
Bread & Water: Essays (University of Regina Press) by dee Hobsbawn Smith
SK Arts Poetry Award Honouring Anne Szumigalski:
awâsis — kinky and disheveled (Brick Books) by Louise B. Halfe – Sky Dancer
University of Regina Faculty of Arts/University of Saskatchewan College of Arts and Science Jennifer Welsh Scholarly Writing Award:
Intimate Integration: A History of the Sixties Scoop and the Colonization of Indigenous Kinship (University of Toronto Press) by Allyson D. Stevenson
City of Saskatoon/Saskatoon Public Library Saskatoon Award:
Probably Ruby (Doubleday Canada), by Lisa Bird-Wilson
City of Regina Regina Award:
Little Housewolf (Signal Editions), by Medrie Purdham
Rasmussen & Co. Indigenous Peoples’ Writing Award:
Intimate Integration: A History of the Sixties Scoop and the Colonization of Indigenous Kinship
(University of Toronto Press) by Allyson D. Stevenson
G. Murray and Edna Forbes Foundation Children’s Award:
The Girl with the Cat (Red Deer Press) by Beverley Brenna (Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan)
Saskatchewan Book Awards Fiction Award:
August Into Winter (McClelland & Stewart) by Guy Vanderhaeghe
Regina Public Library Book of the Year Award Honouring Mary Sutherland:
Probably Ruby (Doubleday Canada) by Lisa Bird-Wilson
AWARDS FOR PUBLISHERS:
Creative Saskatchewan Publishing Award:
University of Regina Press for
Cold Case North: The Search for James Brady and Absolom Halkett
by Michael Nest with Deanna Reder and Eric Bell
SaskBooks Publishing in Education Award:
University of Regina for
Mācī-Anihināpēmowin / Beginning Saulteaux by L. Lynn Cote & Margaret R. Cote
Saskatoon Public Library Indigenous Peoples’ Publishing Award:
GDI Press for
20.12 m: A Short Story Collection of a Life as a Road Allowance Métis by Arnolda Dufour Bowes
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Saskatchewan Book Awards Strengthens Partnerships with Founders.
REGINA – Beginning with the 2023 awards season, the Saskatchewan Book Awards will be operating in closer connection with its founding partners – SaskBooks, the Saskatchewan Library Association and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild.
The four organizations have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate a greater role for the founding partners in the logistics and operational support of the Saskatchewan Book Awards, which will continue to promote and celebrate Saskatchewan authors and publishers as they have done for three decades. An example of this new agreement is the 2023 awards ceremony, which will take place during the Saskatchewan Library Association’s annual conference.
The volunteer-led Saskatchewan Book Awards Board of Directors will continue to be responsible for overseeing the sponsorship, submissions and independent adjudication processes, to guarantee the integrity and freedom from conflict of interest that was integral when the awards were founded by the partners in 1993. The Board is undergoing some transformation in line with its more focused role.
“As we enter into our 30th anniversary year, these changes will enable us to continue to deliver the high-quality Saskatchewan Book Awards program that we know is important to our literary community and reading public, while ensuring efficiency and sustainability,” said Donna Woloshyn, Chair of the Saskatchewan Book Awards Board of Directors.
“I want to thank our founding partners for coming together to focus on our future, as well as all those who contribute their time and effort to the success of the Saskatchewan Book Awards,” she continued. “We look forward to our next chapter of even stronger connections and increased collaboration.”
The Saskatchewan Book Awards is the only provincially focused book awards program in the province and it is a principal ambassador for Saskatchewan’s literary community.
For more information:
Donna Woloshyn, Chair
Saskatchewan Book Awards
306-569-1585
For a pdf copy: SBA_New_Direction_Media_Release_June_24_2022.pdf

Saskatchewan Book Awards Master of Ceremonies, Eric Peterson!
The Saskatchewan Book Awards thanks actor Eric Peterson for hosting the 2022 SBA Ceremony that took place on Thursday, June 23, 2022 at 7:00 pm. The pride of Indian Head, SK, Peterson brought his acting skills and folksy prairie humour in hosting the one hour ceremony. Thank you for making the 2022 SBA the best ever, Eric!
We would also like to thank His Honour, Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty, for his Greetings from Queen Elizabeth II (Government of Canada) as well as the Honourable Laura Ross, for Greetings on behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, and Premier Scott Moe.
The SBA would also like thank the Sponsors of our thirteen, and the spokespersons that presented Awards on their behalf.
A final thank you goes to the fine folks at Amplify Digital Marketing Corporation in Regina, SK, that produced the 2022 Online Ceremony!
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2022 Saskatchewan Book Awards and the Cathedral Village Arts Festival
The Saskatchewan Book Awards (SBA) is pleased to partner with the Cathedral Village Arts Festival on Tuesday, May 24 at 8:00 pm. The author reading will take place at The Artesian in Regina, 2627 13th Avenue, at the Corner of 13th and Angus. The authors sponsored by SBA are Tara Gereaux and Medrie Purdham. They will be reading from their works, Saltus, (Nightwood Editions) and Little Housewolf, (Signal Editions) respectively. Their books have been shortlisted for the 2022 SBA in the City of Regina Category; with Saltus also shortlisted in the Fiction Category and Little Housewolf in the Poetry Category.
Please bring proof of vaccination for the event.
The SBA would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts for sponsoring these author readings!