CBC Books, CBC’s online home for literary content, together with its partners the Canada Council for the Arts, Air Canada enRoute magazine and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, today announced the winner of the 2016 CBC Creative Nonfiction Prize.
Leslie A. Davidson of Revelstoke, British Columbia - originally from Kingston Ontario and Grand Forks British Columbia - wins the grand prize for Adaptation. The story was selected from more than 1100 works received from across the country. You can read Adaptation at CBCBooks.ca.
As grand-prize winner, Davidson will receive $6000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and her story will be published in the October edition of Air Canada enRoute magazine. She will also receive a 10-day writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
The jury was composed of writers Brian Brett, Diane Schoemperlen and Drew Hayden Taylor, who said:
“Adaptation is the story of a long-married couple going for a walk along the river near their town. Beyond the strong and simple writing lies all the complexity of love and pain and how we must get used to the hard things we are not used to. Told with tenderness and gentle humour, it is the story of searching for signposts to help us navigate the new terrain of our lives as we age.”
When Leslie A. Davidson retired from teaching, she started submitting her stories, collecting “rejections and advice, discipline and humility for my wannabe writer-self.” In 2011 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Soon after, her husband was diagnosed with young-onset dementia. “Telling our story began as therapy but became the articulation of a journey, full of sorrow but coloured by astonishing love, humour and compassion.”
CBC Books also announced Cynthia Massé as the winner of the French grand prize this morning: for Le réfrigérateur. For more information, please go to ICI.Radio-canada.ca/icionlit under the “Récit” tab.
The four runners-up for the CBC Creative Nonfiction Prize are Christine Higdon (Mimico, Ontario) for Because We’re Not at the Ocean, Shannon Linden (Kelowna, British Columbia) for Eighteen, Jack Neary (Toronto, Ontario) for What Was in Me, and Judith Timson (Toronto, Ontario) for Through the Front Page. Each runner-up will receive $1000 from the Canada Council for the Arts.
For more information on the awards, please visit CBCbooks.ca.
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About CBC Books
CBCbooks.ca features all of CBC’s rich literary content and major events and programs such as Canada Reads, Canada Writes, The Next Chapter, and Writers & Company. This one-stop destination for book lovers and writers includes exclusive interviews with authors, the latest literary news stories, book recommendations and writing competitions.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s national arts funder. Its grants and payments to artists and arts organizations benefit Canadians by ensuring a vibrant arts sector in Canada. Its awards celebrate creativity by recognizing exceptional Canadians in the arts, humanities and sciences. The Canada Council Art Bank is a national collection of over 17,000 Canadian contemporary artworks - all accessible to the public through rental, loan and outreach programs. The Canadian Commission for UNESCO operates under the general authority of the Canada Council.
About Air Canada enRoute magazine
Air Canada enRoute magazine is seen by over 1 million readers each month. The magazine - available exclusively on all Air Canada flights and in Maple Leaf Lounges worldwide as well as in select hotels and boutiques across North America - is an inspirational authority for the global traveler, known for its strong visual presence and innovative design. Air Canada enRoute is published by Spafax, one of the world’s leading content marketing agencies.
About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus - artists, leaders, and thinkers - to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to society through cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, world-class performances, and public outreach.
For further information, contact:
Nicola Makoway
Publicist, CBC Books
nicola.makoway@cbc.ca
416-205-7673
Diane Hargrave
Diane Hargrave Public Relations
dhprbks@interlog.com
416-467-9954
