The B.C. Book Prizes

The thirteenth annual B.C. Book Prizes Gala was held this Saturday, May 17th at the panoramic Harbourview Room of the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre. It was brilliantly hosted by renowned B.C. writer, Susan Musgrave who set the lighthearted and comic tone fro the evening. She regaled the audience with personal anecdotes about her own "limited" experience with literary prizes. Ms. Musgrave consoled the runners-up in advance by recounting her own ill-fated incident with the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. She had the honour of being short-listed for this prestigious award, but the entire affair began with a dubious premonition. The night before the awards banquet she went out to a Chinese restaurant and received a fortune cookie that read: "Victory is iffy." The next day, she arrived for the ceremony and was handed a lapel pin that read: "Hello, I am Susan Musgrove." Her victory was looking iffier by the minute. The last clue came when the chair of the Stephen Leacock Award expressed her appreaciation for Ms. Musgrave for coming all the way from British Columbia just for lunch.

The judges of this year's B.C. Book Prize Awards had to narrow the field from over 240 entries to 18 finalists (seventeen to be precise, since Richard and Sydney Cannings' book British Columbia: a Natural History was nominated in two of the six categories--the only book to be so honoured). Those that were short-listed maintained that it was an honour just to have been nominated, and for once this assertion did not ring hollow. The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize was presented before dinner, much to the relief of the fiction writers who were then free to enjoy their meals unfettered by anxious anticipation. The nominated books included Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo, The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz, and The Venetian's Wife by Nick Bantock. Ms. Anderson-Dargatz won the prize and told the audience in her acceptance speech that she was glad that she had shaved her legs for the event. She then proceeded to lift her skirt to provide proof of this statement.

The five remaining awards were presented after the elegant dinner which was accompanied by the Armadillo String Quartet. Susan Musgrave commented on the unfairness and joked that the fiction writers should have been made to suffer trepidation and indigestion just like the rest of the finalists. The Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize was awarded by Kit Krieger who, in an ironic twist, appeared on behalf of the Surrey schoolboard which had recently banned all books portraying same sex partners. Mr. Krieger, who is the incoming president of the B.C. Teacher's Federation, ridiculed the decision and stated sarcastically that if the same schoolboard had gotten their hands on the Dick and Jane books he grew up with that they would have changed Dick's name to something more respectable like Norman or Walter. Undoubtably, he noted, they would have done something about Dick and Jane's cat "Puff." The finalists for this award were Marilyn Bowering for Autobiography, Joyce Nelson for Seeing in the Dark, and Margo Button, who won for the poignant portrayal of her pain and helplessness in the face of her only son's struggle with schizophrenia in her book of poetry The Unhinging of Wings. In a touching acceptance speech Ms. Button, a first time author, tearfully dedicated her success to her son. Authors, editors and publishers came out en masse to pay honour to the industry members who, despite an increasingly competitive environment, continue in the difficult task of getting books published. The children's entertainer Raffi, who also presented the Sheila A Egoff Children's Literature Prize, praised the value of books by stating that "one book in the hand is worth 200 in cyberspace." This prize was awarded to Sarah Ellis for her remarkable book, Back of the Beyond. The two other nominees were Kit Pearson for Awake and Dreaming and W.D. Valgardson and Ian Wallace for their collaborative effort on Sarah and the People of Sand River. Ms. Ellis graciously accepted the honour and thanked her longtime friend Sheila Egoff for her support and encouragement.

The finalists for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize included Deanna Kawatski for Clara and Me, and Arthur J. Ray for I Have Lived Here Since the World Began, but the award went to Catherine Lang for her magnificent depiction of the Buddhist honouring the dead in O-Bon in Chimunesu. Ms. Lang is a first time author.

Richard and Sydney Cannings' book British Columbia: a Natural History was nominated for both the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award, which it won, and The Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize, which went to Mr. Haig-Brown's son, Alan Haig-Brown and to Rick Blacklaws for their collaboration on The Fraser River.

The evening was the epitome of West Coast attitude by being unpretentious and down to earth. The winners were unassuming, extremely accessible and willing to talk about their works. In his closing speech, Ian Chunn, the executive Director of the West Coast Book Prize Society, praised the province for its powerful infrastructure and support. He stated that B.C. has the highest per capita book reading rate in the country and challenged established and would-be writers to continue in their search for creative achievement. The thirteenth annual B.C. Book Prize gala was an unequivical success and an optimistic reminder of the extraordinary talent of B.C. writers.

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