The PEI Book Awards celebrates excellence in book publishing and creates awareness of published literature by Islanders, says Minister of Tourism and Culture Robert Vessey.
“We have a rich diversity in the literary culture of the province and the judges had an unenviable task comparing publications which were very different in subject matter,” said Minister Vessey. “This breadth of subject speaks well for our Island authors, editors and publishers. On behalf of all Islanders, I would like to congratulate the award recipients and the nominees on their success of having their literature work published.”
The awards were presented in the categories of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. In the poetry category, Brent MacLaine of the University of Prince Edward Island was the winner with his collection of poems titled Shades of Green. The fiction winner was Steven Mayoff for his story collection publication Fatted Calf Blues, while the non-fiction award was presented to Island photographer John Sylvester for his book Wild Island.
The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Confederation Centre Public Library. In addition to a cash award, the winners were presented with a handcrafted commemorative tray made by Cindy Lenz of Right Off the Batt Pottery in Kinkora.
The judges for the competition were Prince Edward Island Poet Laureate Hugh MacDonald of Brudenell, Catherine Edward of Belfast, winner of the non-fiction award in 2006, and Boyde Beck of Mt. Stewart, well-known author and broadcaster. The judges spoke of the high quality of the submitted books and noted a number of honourable mentions.
The PEI Book Awards are held every two years and are open to authors, editors and book producers resident in the province. In addition to recognizing the quality of publications, the Awards raise the profile of Island books in order to increase sales. The next Prince Edward Island Book Awards will be held in 2012.
For more information, please contact Harry Holman at (902) 368-4784.