Cormier won the $6,000 grand prize for her essay, Advice to a New Beekeeper
CBC BOOKS, CBC’s online home for literary content, together with its partners the Canada Council for the Arts and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, today announced Susan Cormier of Langley, B.C. as the winner of the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize. Cormier’s essay, Advice to a New Beekeeper, was selected from over 1,700 entries.
As the grand-prize winner, Cormier will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and her story has been published on CBC Books. She will also receive a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
The 2022 CBC Nonfiction jurors Marcello Di Cintio, Sharon Butala and Jenna Butler, said this about Cormier’s story:
"A polished piece that seamlessly blends scientific fact and lyric prose, Advice to a New Beekeeper catches the reader's attention from the opening line. The writer navigates the terminology of the hive with familiar skill and not a word out of place, in much the same way as the bees are carefully deployed to various essential tasks within the workings of a colony. Intelligent, imaginative and utterly gorgeous, Advice to a New Beekeeper captivates throughout."
Susan Cormier said, “The CBC Nonfiction Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for short-form writing in the country; I am thrilled to have been selected. The fact that 12 adjudicators chose my writing out of thousands for the longlist is wonderful. And the fact that the three final judges, all of whom are esteemed authors, named me as the winner is even more so.
“I treasure the fact that one of the final judges is herself a respected beekeeper. It is one thing to write with confidence for audiences who are unfamiliar with your subject; it is quite another to sway the favour of a reader who is an expert in the field. I am humbled, excited and somewhat gobsmacked to receive such praise.”
The four runners-up for the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize, who will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, are: Cayenne Bradley of Victoria, B.C. for Your House; Kerissa Dickie of Fort Nelson, B.C. for Seh Woo, My Teeth; Y. S. Lee of Kingston, Ont. for Tek Tek; and Jane Oskowski of Bloomfield, Ont. for Storkatorium.
CBC Books also announced Simon Brousseau as the winner of the French grand prize for La signature du père. More information is available at ICI.Radio-canada.ca/icionlit.
For more information on the CBC Literary Prizes, please visit CBCBooks.ca.
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About CBC Books
Home to Canada Reads, Writers & Company with Eleanor Wachtel, The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers, Canada Writes and the CBC Literary Prizes, CBC Books connects Canadians with books, encouraging a shared love of reading and writing. For book news, writing challenges, reading lists, book recommendations and more, visit cbc.ca/books.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder, with a mandate to “foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.”
The Council’s grants, services, initiatives, prizes, and payments contribute to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene and support its presence across Canada and abroad. The Council’s investments foster greater engagement in the arts among Canadians and international audiences.
The Council’s Public Lending Right (PLR) program makes annual payments to creators whose works are held in Canadian public libraries.
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:
Astoria Luzzi
CBC PR
astoria.luzzi@cbc.ca
416-779-6612
Diane Hargrave
Diane Hargrave Public Relations
dhprbks@interlog.com
416-467-9954
