The Fiddlehead<\/em> and the Writers\u2019 Federation of New Brunswick have announced the shortlisted titles for the first-ever New Brunswick Book Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2016 Atlantic Book Awards Gala \u2013 the first time New Brunswick will host the event \u2013 on April 27th at the Capitol Theatre, Moncton, as part of the Frye Festival.<\/p>\n

The inaugural book awards program is the result of a partnership between Canada\u2019s oldest literary magazine, The Fiddlehead<\/em>, which has nurtured New Brunswick\u2019s literary culture for 70 years, and the Writers\u2019 Federation, which for 30 years has passionately supported the development of home-grown writers at all stages of development.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s 100 years of literary engagement!\u201d said Ian LeTourneau, secretary of The Fiddlehead<\/em>, who was recently named Fredericton\u2019s first Cultural Laureate. \u201cWe believe New Brunswick writers are some of Canada\u2019s finest, and we are looking forward to recognizing them!\u201d<\/p>\n

LeTourneau serves on the New Brunswick Book Awards Committee with Rayanne Brennan, a WFNB director and past president; Rosalyn Hyslop, also a WFNB director and co-chair of Saint John\u2019s Fog Lit Festival; and, Ross Leckie, editor of The Fiddlehead<\/em> and professor of English at the University of New Brunswick.<\/p>\n

The program celebrates books published in the 2015 calendar year in three categories: poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Brennan said the celebration is long overdue.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil now, New Brunswick \u2013 a province with a rich literary heritage \u2013 was the only province in Canada without its own (Anglophone) book awards program.\u201d\u00a0New Brunswick\u2019s Acadian community recognizes outstanding works of literature with the annual Prix litt\u00e9raire Antonine-Maillet-Acadie Vie.<\/p>\n

The Fiddlehead<\/em> and the Writers\u2019 Federation of New Brunswick have also partnered with Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick (AAAPNB) to present finalists for the Francophone Artist of the Year in Literature at the Atlantic Book Awards Gala, which for the first time will be a bilingual event. The winner will be announced May 8th at Les \u00c9loizes, an awards program that recognizes excellence in six artistic disciplines.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a>This new competition is open to traditionally published and self-published authors who have lived in the province for three of the last five years, including the award year. The finalists for the inaugural awards are as follows:<\/p>\n

Poetry<\/strong>
\nPhyllip Crymble, Not Even Laughter<\/em> (Salmon Poetry)
\nM. Travis Lane, Crossover<\/em> (Cormorant Books)
\nMichael Pacey, Electric Affinities<\/em> (Signature Editions)<\/p>\n

Fiction<\/strong>
\nR.W. Gray, Entropic<\/em> (NeWest)
\nMark Anthony Jarman, Knife Party at the Hotel Europa<\/em> (Goose Lane Editions)
\nBeth Powning, A Measure of Light<\/em> (Knopf)<\/p>\n

Non-Fiction<\/strong>
\nNicholas Guitard, The Lost Wilderness<\/em> (Goose Lane Editions)
\nDonald Savoie, What is Government Good At?<\/em> (McGill-Queen\u2019s University Press)
\nDavid Sullivan, Boss Gibson: Lumber King of New Brunswick<\/em> (Self Published)<\/p>\n

The Judges<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Poetry\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Anita Lahey, a poet, journalist, reviewer and essayist who lives in Victoria. She\u2019s the author of The Mystery Shopping Cart: Essays on Poetry and Culture<\/em> (Palimpsest, 2013) and two poetry collections: Spinning Side Kick<\/em> and Out to Dry in Cape Breton<\/em> (V\u00e9hicule, 2011 & 2006). She serves as assistant series editor for Tightrope Books\u2019 annual anthology Best Canadian Poetry in English<\/em>,<\/p>\n

Fiction<\/strong> \u2013 Lisa Moore, a St. John\u2019s Newfoundland and Labrador writer, whose collection of short stories, Open<\/em> and her first novel, Alligator<\/em>, were both nominated for the Giller Prize. Moore was one of 13 novelists on the long list for the 2010 Man Booker Prize for her novel February<\/em>, which won CBC Radio\u2019s Canada Reads 2013.<\/p>\n

Non-Fiction<\/strong> \u2013 Jane Silcott, whose debut collection of essays, Everything Rustles<\/em>, published in 2013 with Anvil Press, was a finalist in the BC Book Prizes. Jane teaches in the University of King\u2019s College MFA Program in Creative Nonfiction, as well as for the University of BC Writing Centre and Simon Fraser University\u2019s Southbank Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Fiddlehead and the Writers\u2019 Federation of New Brunswick have announced the shortlisted titles for the first-ever New Brunswick Book Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2016 Atlantic Book Awards Gala \u2013 the first time New Brunswick will host the event \u2013 on April 27th at the Capitol Theatre, Moncton, as part of the Frye Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":5977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,11],"tags":[218,200],"class_list":["post-5953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-culture-community","category-featured-article","tag-awards","tag-moncton"],"yoast_head":"\n