THANK YOU THE ALBERTA B O O K PUBLISHING AWARDS 630 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Book Publishers Association of Alberta thanks our APPETIZER BUFFET jury members, and acknowledges the time and effort devoted to careful deliberation and the recognition of excellence among Alberta publishers: 8 Kelsey Attard WELCOME BY Doug Barbour Alexander Finbow Sheila Barry President of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta Derek Beaulieu Steph Berrington KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY John Hudson Matt Bowes John is the founder and Artistic Director of Shadow Theatre, Alan Brownoff one of Alberta’s most successful theatre companies. He is also Philip J. Cercone a co-founder and current Executive Director of The Varscona Anita Daher Theatre and was the driving force in getting the newly refurb- Ken Davis ished building completed. He has directed over 100 productions in his career and has twice been nominated for the Mayor’s Nancy Flight Arts Awards for Outstanding Artistic Direction and was inducted Katherine Gillieson into the City of Edmonton’s Hall of Fame Salute to Excellence Don Gorman for Arts and Culture in June 2017. John lives in Edmonton with Stevie Howell his wife Sandy and their daughters Charlotte and Bella. John King Mark Lisac GREETINGS FROM LOCAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS David Shepherd Colleen MacMillan MLA Edmonton-Centre bringing greetings on Jerome Martin behalf of the Minister of Culture and Tourism Merle Martin Bev Esslinger Paul Matwychuk Edmonton City Councillor, Ward 2 John Maxwell Ben Henderson Brian Mlazgar Edmonton City Councillor, Ward 8 Lou Morin Scott McKeen Kirsten Morrell Edmonton City Councillor, Ward 6 Brenda Niskala Brian O’Donnell AWARD PRESENTATIONS Don Purich Robyn Read Margaret Reynolds 10 Glenn Rollans Shirley Serviss CASH BAR Hayden Trenholm THE 2017 ALBERTA BOOK PUBLISHING AWARDS Each year since 1989 the Alberta Book Publishing Awards have celebrated the incredible work of Alberta book publishers — enriching and sustaining the cultural and social landscape of our province, year in and year out. The awards program honours excellence and innovation throughout Alberta’s book publishing industry. Recognizing the exceptional work of Alberta publishers will spread to readers across the province and draw attention to the range and quality of the books published in Alberta. This year Alberta publishers submitted over 90 books across 14 different categories. We sincerely thank everyone who has made, and continues to make, this celebration possible. The Book Publishers Association of Alberta was founded in 1975 to support the development of a thriving provincial publishing industry, away from Canada’s traditional book publishing centres. One of the strongest communities of regional publishers in North America today, the BPAA counts nearly 30 member companies, most of which are owned and operated in Alberta. BOOK DESIGN UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS The Frontier of Patriotism: Alberta and the First World War EDITED BY Adriana A. Davies and Jeff Keshen DESIGN BY Garet Markvoort FREEHAND BOOKS Perfect World BY Ian Colford DESIGN BY Natalie Olsen ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY PRESS Visiting with the Ancestors: Blackfoot Shirts in Museum Spaces BY Laura Peers and Alison K. Brown DESIGN BY Marvin Harder BOOK COVER DESIGN NEWEST PRESS Border Markers BY Jenny Ferguson DESIGN BY Kate Hargreaves FRONTENAC HOUSE The Bone Weir BY D.S. Stymeist DESIGN BY Tim Nokes NEWEST PRESS Lost Animal Club BY Kevin A. Couture DESIGN BY Kate Hargreaves TRADE FICTION Sponsored by Marquis STONEHOUSE PUBLISHING Kalyna BY Pam Clarke NEWEST PRESS Paper Teeth BY Lauralyn Chow UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS Rising Abruptly BY Gisèle Villeneuve FREEHAND BOOKS White Elephant BY Catherine Cooper TRADE NON- FICTION Sponsored by MNP UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS Baffin Island: Field Research and High Arctic Adventure, 1961-67 BY Jack D. Ives HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ALBERTA Edmonton House Journals: Reports from the Saskatchewan District, Including the Bow River Expedition, 1821-1826 BY Ted Binnema and Gerhard J. Ens UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS The Frontier of Patriotism: Alberta and the First World War EDITED BY Adriana A. Davies and Jeff Keshen BRUSH EDUCATION Native Plants for the Short Season Yard: Best Picks for the Chinook and Canadian Prairie Zones BY Lyndon Penner ROBERT KROETSCH AWARD FOR POETRY UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS 100 Days BY Juliane Okot Bitek FRONTENAC HOUSE Silent Sister: the mastectomy poems BY Beth Everest UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS Sleeping in Tall Grass BY Richard Therrien SCHOLARLY AND ACADEMIC Sponsored by Witten LLP UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS One Child Reading: My Auto-Bibliography BY Margaret Mackey UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS Polaris: The Chief Scientist’s Recollections of the American North Pole Expedition, 1871–73 BY Emil Bessels TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY William Barr UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS Farm Workers in Western Canada: Injustices and Activism EDITED BY Shirley A. McDonald and Bob Barnetson UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS Vulnerability and Adaptation to Drought: The Canadian Prairies and South America EDITED BY Harry Diaz, Margot Hulbert, and Jim Warren LEARNING BRUSH EDUCATION The Complete Canadian Book Editor BY Leslie Vermeer BRUSH EDUCATION Cultural Competency Skills for Psychologists, Psychotherapists, and Counselling Professionals: A Workbook for Caring Across Cultures BY Earle Waugh, Olga Szafran, Dr. Jean A.C. Truscott, Roger Parent DURVILE PUBLICATIONS Stop Making Art and Die: Survival Activities for Artists BY Rich Théroux BRUSH EDUCATION The Primary Care Toolkit for Anxiety and Related Disorders: Quick, Practical Solutions for Assessment and Management BY Dr. Bianca Lauria-Horner SPECULATIVE FICTION HADES PUBLICATIONS The Salarian Desert Game: Book Two in the Unintentional Adventures of Kia and Agatha BY J.A. McLachlan TYCHE BOOKS Stalking the Dead BY E.C. Bell LAKSA MEDIA GROUPS Strangers Among Us: Tales of the Underdogs and Outcasts EDITED BY Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT Sponsored by Qualico Winner to be announced tonight ALBERTA READERS’ CHOICE AWA R D Sponsored by Edmonton Public Library Winner to be announced tonight EMERGING PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR Winner to be announced tonight SPECIAL RECOGNITION Winner to be announced tonight MEL HURTIG PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY NEWEST PRESS UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Winner to be announced tonight Sponsored by the Edmonton Public Library, the Alberta Readers’ Choice Award is awarded annually for the best fiction or narrative non-fiction book by an Alberta author. The $10,000 award — one of Alberta’s richest literary prizes — recognizes the exceptional writing talent in Alberta and encourages readers to support local authors. 50 Percent of Mountaineering is Uphill: The Life of Canadian Mountain Rescue Pioneer Willi Pfisterer BY Susanna Pfisterer NEWEST PRESS Art Lessons BY Katherine Koller ENFIELD & WIZENTY Gatekeeper BY Natasha Deen GREAT PLAINS TEEN FICTION Paper Teeth BY Lauralyn Chow NEWEST PRESS Son of France BY Todd Babiak HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS MEL HURTIG was a proud Albertan who spent his life promoting and defending his country through bookselling, publishing, writing and politics. Born in Edmonton on June 24th, 1932, Hurtig’s earliest ambition was to own and operate his own bookstore. Opened in 1956, Hurtig Books was the first of its kind in Western Canada, and grew to include three locations, specializing in the energetic and creative promotion of books that garnered praise across the country. Through this venture, Hurtig came to understand the need for more pertinent books about Alberta and Canada, written by Canadians, for Canadians. In 1972, he sold Hurtig Books [becoming Audrey’s] in order to concentrate his efforts in publish- ing. Hurtig Publishers was the force behind dozens of best-selling titles in the 1970s and 1980s, thanks to bold selections and creative promotions that twice garnered Hurtig the Canadian Book Publisher of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association. In 1985, Hurtig Publishers released its landmark publication, The Canadian Encyclopedia, selling almost 500,000 copies in its first run. This would be the largest publishing endeavor in the history of Canadian publishing. In the early 90s, Hurtig sold his publishing company to McClelland & Stewart and began a successful writing career. Over the course of twenty years he wrote of social justice issues and Canadian nationalism. His book, The Betrayal of Canada, was the best-selling non-fiction book of 1991. Subsequent titles were all best-sellers. From bookseller to publisher to author, Mel Hurtig’s life was steeped in his love for his country and books. He was awarded throughout his career with honours including, an appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, six honourary doctorates, and the Lester B. Pearson Man of the Year Peace Award. In 2005, Mel left his beloved Alberta to move closer to family. He died on August 3rd, 2016, at the age of 84, leaving a legacy of outspoken nationalism and the championing of Canadian books. It is an honour to recognize the many contributions that Mel Hurtig has made to the book world in Alberta and Canada with the naming of the Mel Hurtig Alberta Book Publisher of the Year Award..