W.O. Mitchell Book Prize

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W.O. Mitchell Book Prize

The listing period for this opportunity has passed.

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is pleased to announce the finalists for The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, recognizing outstanding books published in 2019.

The City of Calgary established the W.O. Mitchell Book Prize in honour of the late Calgary writer W.O. Mitchell to celebrate literary achievements by Calgary authors.

The Book Prize is organized in partnership with the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. This $5,000 prize will be awarded as part of The Calgary Awards later this year (date to be confirmed).

This year’s three finalists are:

Season of Fury and Wonder by Sharon Butala (Coteau Books)

In Butala’s world, the season of fury and wonder is a season of old age. The stories in this book are the stories of women who have had experiences; women who have seen much of life and felt the joy of success but also the sting of shortcomings; women who hold opinions and have come to conclusions about the lives they’ve lived. Not only is each story an observation on ageing, but each also pays tribute to a classic work of literature that has had an impact on Butala’s writing.

For an excerpt, visit writersguild.ca/season-of-fury-and-wonder.

Tiny Lights for Travellers by Naomi K. Lewis (University of Alberta Press)

When her marriage suddenly ends, and a diary documenting her beloved Opa’s escape from Nazi-occupied Netherlands in the summer of 1942 is discovered, Naomi Lewis decides to retrace his journey to freedom. Travelling alone from Amsterdam to Lyon, she discovers family secrets and her own narrative as a second-generation Jewish Canadian. With vulnerability, humour, and wisdom, Lewis’s memoir asks tough questions about her identity as a secular Jew, the accuracy of family stories, and the impact of the Holocaust on subsequent generations.

For an excerpt, visit writersguild.ca/tinylights-for-travellers.

Dear Scarlet: The Story of my Postpartum Depression by Teresa Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

In this intimate and moving graphic memoir, Teresa Wong tells her struggle with postpartum depression in the form of a letter to her daughter Scarlet. Both heartbreaking and funny, Dear Scarlet captures the quiet desperation of those suffering from postpartum depression (PPD) and the profound feelings of inadequacy and loss. As Teresa grapples with her fears and anxieties and grasps at potential remedies, coping mechanisms, and her mother’s Chinese elixirs, we come to understand one woman’s battle against the cruel dynamics of PPD.

Except coming soon.

Learn more at writersguild.ca.

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