Submitted by Nelson and District Arts Council
Writer Danielle LaRocque has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Richard Carver Award for emerging writers.
Her letter of nomination highlighted the quality of her work, community involvement and support of the literary community. About her book Remembering Michael, the nomination says “it is an extraordinary example of resilience and tenacity, but also a testament to the power of writing as a tool to heal.”
This year the jury also awarded an honourable mention to author Sarah Butler for her work The Wild Heavens. The jury was very impressed with Butler’s debut novel and believe this won’t be the only award it receives.
The awards will be handed out at the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival event Wine and Crime – The Meadow Edition on Friday (or Aug. 28 if it rains). Richard’s daughter Jocelyn Carver, an arts lover herself, has continued the family’s generous support of this award and will be handing out the awards at the event.
The Richard Carver Award was created in 2009 by the Nelson and District Arts Council and has been awarded six times. Children’s author Darcee O’Hearn was the recipient in 2013, followed by poet Jane Byers in 2014.
In 2015 the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival became a partner in the award, and that year the award was split between two deserving authors, Susan Dancer, and Avi Silberstein. The recipients in 2016 were Donna Macdonald and Alanda Greene. In 2017 the recipient was Diana Morita Cole. In 2018 it was split again and bestowed on Morty Mint and Ernest Hekkanen and last year poet Rayya Liebich was the recipient.
Richard Carver was invested in the community as a lover of the arts and the Kootenays. He was a mover and shaker on the board of the Nelson and District Arts Council, and the primary sponsor of this award named in his honour.
The Nelson and District Arts Council and Elephant Mountain Literary Festival thanks all of the nominees, nominators, and the jury for their work and commitment to the literary scene here in the district.