B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes finalists will be at the Nelson Public Library to read from their shortlisted books next week.
On June 15, Creston author Tanya Christenson will join Kelowna poet Matt Rader for an evening with finalists. Christenson is the author of the novel A Soft Place to Fall, published by Red Deer Press, which is a finalist for the 2022 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. A Soft Place to Fall is Christenson’s first book and it tells the story of Creighton, a 14-year-old boy adapting to a new school and friends in the wake of personal disasters that challenge him and his classmates.
Rader will read from his book Ghosthawk, his sixth book and a finalist for the 2022 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Rader teaches creative writing at UBC Okanagan and lives in Kelowna. In Ghosthawk, Rader writes about the physical world — weather, wildflowers, birds — while speaking through the poet’s body about humanity and home.
The event at the Nelson Public Library begins at 7 p.m. Notably, a Book Lover’s Emporium will be at the library selling copies of the authors’ books. The winners of the 2022 BC and Yukon Book Prizes will be announced at the Gala on Sept. 24 at the University Golf Club in Vancouver.
The BC and Yukon Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia and Yukon writers, illustrators and publishers.
The 10 prizes are presented annually at the BC and Yukon Book Prizes Gala and are administered and awarded by members of a non-profit society who represent all facets of the publishing and writing community.