(The highlighted titles will take you to reviews written by myself or the folks at the Miramichi Reader who are way ahead of me!)
Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction
Boy with a Problem by Chris Benjamin (Pottersfield Press)
Winter Road by Wayne Curtis (Pottersfield Press)
The Appendage Formerly Known as Your Left Arm by Julie Curwin (Boularderie Island Press)
Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature
Annaka by Andre Fenton (Nimbus Publishing)
Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan (Albert Whitman & Company)
The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari (Penguin Teen)
Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing, Sponsored by Marquis Book Printing
At the Ocean’s Edge: A History of Nova Scotia to Confederation by Margaret Conrad (University of Toronto Press)
The Miramichi Fire: A History by Alan MacEachern (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland
by Andrea Procter (ISER Books)
Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association Best Atlantic-Published Book Award, Sponsored by Friesens Corporation
The Forager’s Dinner: Finding, harvesting and preparing Newfoundland and Labrador’s edible plants by Shawn Dawson (Boulder Books)
Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray (Breakwater Books Ltd.)
Black Matters by Afua Cooper, with photographs by Wilfried Raussert (Roseway Publishing)
Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing, Sponsored by Marquis Book Printing
At the Ocean’s Edge: A History of Nova Scotia to Confederation by Margaret Conrad (University of Toronto Press) The Miramichi Fire: A History by Alan MacEachern (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland
by Andrea Procter (ISER Books)
Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing
Silver Hair and Golden Voice: Austin Willis, From Halifax to Hollywood by
Ernest J. Dick (Nimbus Publishing)
Acadian Driftwood: One Family and the Great Expulsion
by Tyler LeBlanc (Goose Lane Editions)
Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys
by Jennifer Thonhill-Verma (Nimbus Publishing)
Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award
Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes by Silver Donald Cameron (Viking Canada)
Acadian Driftwood: One Family and the Great Expulsion by Tyler LeBlanc (Goose Lane Editions)
Before the Parade: A History of Halifax’s Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Communities, 1972-1984 by Rebecca Rose (Nimbus Publishing)
Jim Connors Dartmouth Book Award (Fiction), presented by Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission and Cluett Insurance
Good Mothers Don’t by Laura Best (Nimbus Publishing)
The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe (Nimbus Publishing)
The Silence of the Vessel: A Novel by Brenda MacLennan-Dunphy (Pottersfield Press)
J. M. Abraham Poetry Award
Black Matters by Afua Cooper, with photographs by Wilfried Raussert (Roseway Publishing)
Humanimus by David Huebert (Palimpsest Press)
Waking Ground by shalan joudry (Gaspereau Press)
Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration
Byron Eggenschwiler, illustrator for The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt,
written by Riel Nason (Tundra Books)
Sydney Smith, illustrator for I Talk Like a River, written by Jordan Scott (Neal Porter Books)
Lauren Soloy, illustrator, for When Emily Was Small, written by Lauren Soloy (Tundra Books)
Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Non-Fiction, sponsored by Weed Man Maritimes, Heritage House Law Office and I Love Renovations
Acadian Driftwood: One Family and the Great Expulsion by Tyler LeBlanc (Goose Lane Editions)
The Dome Chronicles by Garry Leeson (Nevermore Press)
Capturing Crime by Carol Taylor (New World Publishing)
Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Fiction, sponsored by the family of John and Margaret Savage and Royden Trainor
The Appendage Formerly known as Your Left Arm by Julie Curwin (Boularderie Island Press)
Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray (Breakwater Books Ltd.)
Aftershock: A Novel by Alison Taylor (HarperCollins)
Maxine Tynes Nova Scotia Poetry Award
Year of the Metal Rabbit by Tammy Armstrong (Gaspereau Press)
Burden by Douglas Burnet Smith (University of Regina Press)
Waking Ground by shalan joudry (Gaspereau Press)
Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award (Non-Fiction), sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Dartmouth
Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes by Silver Donald Cameron (Viking Canada)
Acadian Driftwood: One Family and the Great Expulsion by Tyler LeBlanc (Goose Lane Editions)
Peace by Chocolate: The Hadhad Family’s Remarkable Journey from Syria to Canada by Jon Tattrie (Goose Lane Editions)
Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
Some People’s Children by Bridget Canning (Breakwater Books Ltd.)
Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray (Breakwater Books Ltd.)
Speechless by Anne Simpson (Freehand Books)
Books I have read with reviews on the way: The Appendage Formerly Known as Your Left Arm by Julie Curwin, Black Matters by Afua Cooper, Good Mothers Don’t by Laura Best, Waking Ground by shalan joudrey, Aftershock by Alison Taylor, Some People’s Children by Bridget Canning, and Speechless by Anne Simpson
Congratulations to all the finalists and nominees!
The 2021 Atlantic Book Festival and Awards will take place online with virtual author events happening May 6 to 12 and a virtual Awards Gala on May 13. For more information visit the Atlantic Book Awards!
Consumed by Ink 
And the Award for the Best Title goes to
*drum roll*
The Appendage Formerly Known as Your Left Arm
!!!
Yes! Isn’t it great?! So is the book! 🙂
Lisa’s comment reminds me that our trade magazine, The Bookseller, runs an annual prize for the strangest title. Looks like this one would be a worthy contender.
I love titles that stand out!
The scope of these awards is so interesting!
It’s nice we have a way to recognize some of the more niche writing that wouldn’t necessarily be noticed by a wide audience.
Okay…so has that exceptionally cute whale been a part of the logo in years past? Also, in the whale community, are their tail models, like humans can be hand models?
As usual, this announcement adds several new titles to my TBR list. Sheesh. Neverending. I’m looking forward to your review of Speechless; I feel like that book deserves more readers…hopefully this isn’t the only prizelisting for that one!
Speechless was so good. I hope it gets more recognition as well. And, of course, I’ve added her other novels to my list. Have you read them?
Last year it was a seagull reading a book. 🙂 But the whale tail is always around. And, of course, the whales all want to be tail models. They line up in the harbour hoping to be noticed!
I’ve read part of both Canterbury Beach and Falling, which I hesitate to admit, because it sounds like there was something wrong with them, but it was only that I was reading them when they were new and the duedates weren’t cooperative (and I never got around to requesting them a second time).
Of COURSE they are! 😀
🙂
That award poster is ADORABLE!!!! I must agree with Marcie above.
Sadly the only book I’ve read on this list is a children’s picture book, the ghost who has a blanket. I can confirm it is also adorable 🙂
I brought that book home from the library yesterday! And, yes, I’m going to read it to myself. Who says you need to be a kid? lol
Thank you forr writing this