Michael Christie's short stories about life in Downtown East Side, Fred Herzog's evocative photos of Vancouver's streetscapes and the Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»are among the finalists for the 2012 BC Book Prizes.
The West Coast Book Prize Society will dole out more than $14,000 in prizes at BC Book Prize Soirée on May 12.
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize awarded to the author of the best work of fiction: Supported by Friesens and Webcom
Michael Christie, The Beggars Garden (HarperCollins Canada)
Esi Edugyan, Half-Blood Blues (Thomas Allen Publishers)
Frances Greenslade, Shelter (Random House Canada)
Steven Price, Into That Darkness (Thomas Allen Publishers)
D. W. Wilson, Once You Break a Knuckle (Hamish Hamilton Canada, Penguin Group Canada)
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize to recognize the author(s) of the book that contributes most to the enjoyment and understanding of British Columbia: Supported by Transcontinental Printing
Chuck Davis, The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»(Harbour Publishing)
Fred Herzog, Fred Herzog: Photographs (Douglas & McIntyre)
Andrew Nikiforuk, Empire of the Beetle: How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug Are Killing North America's Great Forests (Greystone Books in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation)
Sheryl Salloum, The Life and Art of Mildred Valley Thornton [#4 UABC series] (Mother Tongue Publishing)
Scott Watson, Thrown: British Columbias Apprentices of Bernard Leach and Their Contemporaries (Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, The University of British Columbia)
Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize awarded to the author of the best original non-fiction literary work: Supported by Abebooks
Carmen Aguirre, Something Fierce (Douglas & McIntyre)
Gary Geddes, Drink the Bitter Root (Douglas & McIntyre)
Charlotte Gill, Eating Dirt (Greystone Books in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation)
Theresa Kishkan, Mnemonic: A Book of Trees (Goose Lane Editions)
JJ Lee, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit (McClelland & Stewart Ltd.)
Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize awarded to the author of the best work of poetry: Supported by the BC Teachers Federation
Patrick Lane, The Collected Poems of Patrick Lane (Harbour Publishing)
Susan McCaslin, Demeter Goes Skydiving (The University of Alberta Press)
Garry Thomas Morse, Discovery Passages, Talonbooks
John Pass, crawlspace (Harbour Publishing)
Sharon Thesen, Oyama Pink Shale (House of Anansi Press)
Christie Harris Illustrated Childrens Literature Prize presented to the best illustrated book written for children: Supported by Ampersand Inc.
Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Rae Maté, (Simply Read Books)
Grandpas Girls by Nicola I. Campbell, illustrated by Kim La Fave (Groundwood Books)
Dalen & Gole: Scandal in Port Angus written and illustrated by Mike Deas (Orca Book Publishers)
Shake-Awakes by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Marc Mongeau (Tradewind Books)
When I Was Small by Sara OLeary, illustrated by Julie Morstad (Simply Read Books)
Sheila A. Egoff Childrens Literature Prize awarded to the best non-illustrated book written for children: Supported by the BC Library Association
Glen Huser, The Runaway (Tradewind Books)
Pamela Porter, Ill Be Watching (Groundwood Books)
Karen Rivers, What is Real (Orca Book Publishers)
Caitlyn Vernon, Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest (Orca Book Publishers)
Moira Young, Blood Red Road (Doubleday Canada)
Bill Duthie Booksellers Choice Award presented to the originating publisher and author(s) of the best book in terms of public appeal, initiative, design, production and content: Supported by the BC Booksellers Association
Chuck Davis, The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»(Harbour Publishing)
Charlotte Gill, Eating Dirt (Greystone Books in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation)
Fred Herzog, Fred Herzog: Photographs (Douglas & McIntyre)
Gary Hynes, Island Wineries of British Columbia (TouchWood Editions)
Robert J. Wiersema, Walk Like a Man: Coming of Age with the Music of Bruce Springsteen (Greystone Books)
At the Soirée, the recipient of the 2012 Lieutenant Governors Award for Literary Excellence will be announced. This award was established in 2003 by the Honourable Iona Campagnolo to recognize British Columbia writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence in the province. In 2011, the seventh annual award was presented to George Bowering.
The winners in the seven categories listed above will be announced at the Lieutenant Governors BC Book Prizes Gala on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at The Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at SFU Woodwards, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, in Vancouver. British Columbias Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC, will be in attendance.
Tickets available online starting March 19.
A selection of the shortlisted authors (to be announced in the coming weeks) will be part of BC Book Prizes On Tour presented by Rio Tinto Alcan. This author reading tour will take finalists to schools, bookstores, and public libraries in many communities throughout BC April 25-May 11.
Details at
