The nominees for this year’s 32nd Annual BC Book Prizes include at least one UBC alumnus for all seven categories, which is an incredible feat in itself. Some of these authors will also be taking a month-long tour around schools in British Columbia.
The nominees for the first award — the Ethel Wilson Fiction prize for the author with the best work of fiction — includes Alix Hawley. She received a Bachelor's of Arts in English literature with a minor in 19th-century studies from UBC. Her novel, All True Not a Lie in It, is set during the Revolutionary War through the eyes of famed settler Daniel Boone.
The Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize highlights those authors whose works have made a contribution to the enjoyment and understanding of BC and this year the nominations include five UBC alumni. Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat have a Bachelor's of Arts in history and English from UBC respectively and can often be found at political rallies in Vancouver. They are co-authors of Soviet Princeton: Slim Evans and the 1932–33 Miners' Strike and also self described “cultural historians and scholars of traditional song” with a focus on “BC’s Southern Interior.”
The other nominees include Derrick Stacey Denholm who received his undergraduate degree in English at UBC. His work, Ground-Truthing: Reimagining the Indigenous Rainforests of BC's North Coast, focuses on the classification of British Columbia’s forests by climate, elevation and vegetation. Denholm also takes into account the First Nations history that is attached to the land. This ties together the social, scientific and natural spheres together, creating a highly informative and unique read about the land on a larger scale.
The fourth nominee for the Roderick Haig-Brown prize is Dr. John Thistle, who studied geography at UBC and is currently a research associate at the Labrador Institute at Memorial University. His work Resettling the Range: Animals, Ecologies and Human Communities in British Columbia, is about the ecological degradation of Interior BC with insight to the long term effects for wild horses and grasshoppers. Thistle also addresses the idea of land as a product to be bought and sold.
The fifth and final nominee is Briony Penn who graduated from UBC with a degree in geography and anthropology. Her book, The Real Thing: The Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan, is currently nominated for two awards — the Roderick Haig-Brown and the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. Her nominated work is about the famed Canadian naturalist Ian McTaggart Cowan who changed the understanding of ecology and inspired people such as David Suzuki.
The fourth category is the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, awarded to the author with the best work of poetry. The nominee, Amber Dawn’s journey with poetry began in a UBC summer poetry course. She is currently an adjunct professor of poetry at UBC, teaching creative writing 200 and 401. Dawn has also received the Writer’s Trust of Canada Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT writers.
The UBC alumni nominated for the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize include Robert Heidbreder and Annette LeBox. Heidbreder received his teaching degree from UBC in 1975 and won the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2002. He has also served on the panel for UBC Authorfest 2015. His book, Song for a Summer Night: A Lullaby, is about the nighttime journeys of children and animals in a quiet neighbourhood. LeBox received her Creative Writing Master's of Fine Arts from UBC in 1995 and many of her works focus on nature, inspired by her background as an environmentalist. Her book, Peace is an Offering, is about “small acts of kindness” in everyday life.
The nominees for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize include Linda Bailey who completed both her Bachelor's of Arts in English and her Master's of Education at UBC. With an expansive background as a teacher, editor and travel agent, it comes as no surprise that many of her books are about travel. Seven Dead Pirates is her first novel and it is about an 11-year old boy who goes on an adventure to recover a pirate ship for seven dead pirates that are haunting his house.
The final category is the Bill Duthie’s Booksellers’ Choice Award for the book that stands out in public appeal, initiative, design, production and content. The UBC nominees are Caroline Adderson and Caroline Woodward. Adderson received her Bachelor's of Education with a concentration in creative writing from UBC in 1982, then taught ESL for the following decade. She has also won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize twice previously from the BC Book Prizes.
Her book, Vancouver Vanishes: Narratives of Demolition and Revival (written in compilation with several others), is about the consistent demolition in Vancouver, resulting in a loss of heritage and unique history of our city. It has been highlighted as a BC bestseller, drawing attention to the contrast between the Vancouver City Council goal of sustainability in the face of constant demolition. Woodward received her Bachelor's of Arts in sociology and teacher certificate from UBC before beginning a long journey in social work, teaching and travel. Her work, Light Years: Memoir of a Modern Lighthouse Keeper, is about Woodward’s own experience living in a lighthouse with her husband for seven years.
The winners for the BC Book Prizes will be announced on April 20, 2016 at the Lieutenant Governor’s Gala in Victoria. Tickets are available now.
Editors note: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to several essay collections and other works as novels. The Ubyssey regrets this error.