media release
Writers' Alliance Announces Shortlist for the 2008 Heritage and History Book Award(November 10, 2008–St. John's, NL) The Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador presents the Heritage and History Book Award for a work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or children's/young adult literature that exemplifies excellence in the interpretation of the history and heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. The award is sponsored by the Historic Sites Association as a way to demonstrate appreciation for those writers whose exploration of their culture and heritage has shaped their writing.The 2008 Heritage and History Book Award Shortlist, listed alphabetically by author:
Susan Chalker Browne is the author of seven books for children, five of which are part of a children's history series featuring National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador and telling true stories from the past. The Land of a Thousand Whales (Tuckamore Books, 2006), the latest in this series, is about a young boy who stows away on a whaling ship and spends a summer full of adventure in a whaling port called Butus–today known as Red Bay, Labrador. Susan is a journalist and teacher and lives in St. John's with her husband and four children. A native Newfoundlander, Bernice Morgan is the author of the Canadian bestsellers Random Passage (Breakwater Books Ltd., 1992) and Waiting for Time (Breakwater Books Ltd., 1994), which won the CAA Award for Fiction. Both novels were adapted into a four-part television miniseries, which aired in Canada and Ireland in 2002. She is also the author of several short stories and a collection called The Topography of Love (Breakwater Books Ltd., 2000). Earlier this year, she won the 2008 Downhome Fiction Award for her long-awaited and much talked about novel Cloud of Bone (Knopf Canada, 2007). Born in St. John's in 1928, Paul O'Neill graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in New York in 1949 and was a professional actor in the US and England until 1953 when he became a CBC producer, retiring in 1986. He was the founding president of the Newfoundland Writers' Guild and has been a volunteer with over 50 organizations during the last half century. His awards include the Order of Canada and an honorary doctor of laws degree from Memorial University. His prose and poetry have been published internationally. How Dog Became A Friend (Pennywell Books, 2007) tells an enchanting story of how Dog left his cold and barren home to come and live among people. Paul Rowe is an actor, writer, and teacher who lives in St. John's. He co-authored the one-act play Answer Me Home–Stories from the Cape Shore, with poet/dramatist Agnes Walsh. In 2003, he wrote To Dare Mighty Things, a play about William Coaker and the Fishermen's Protective Union, produced by Rising Tide Theatre. He also spent four years as co-artistic director of La Troupe Theatro, performing in a number of French plays, including one he wrote himself for the 2004 French celebrations called Le Sieur de Neri. In October 2007, Killick Press released his first novel, The Silent Time. The novel was inspired by his mother's experiences growing up deaf in Newfoundland in the early 1900s. It was shortlisted for the 2008 Winterset Award. The Heritage and History Book Award was first presented in 2004 and is awarded annually. The winner receives a $250 cash prize. The shortlist is selected from among those books submitted to The Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. |
Media contact: Théa Morash Executive Director, Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's, NL Tel: (709) 739-5215 Toll free: 1 (866) 739-5215 Email: wanl@nf.aibn.com |
| The Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador operates with funds raised from membership dues, fundraising activities, corporate and private sponsorship, and with the financial support of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, City of St John's, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, which the Alliance gratefully acknowledges. | |
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