Atlantic Canadian Books Nominated for 2021 Atlantic Book Awards

***(Halifax, NS*) Atlantic Canadian Books Nominated for 2021 Atlantic Book Awards**

Representing the best in Atlantic writing, illustration and publishing, the Atlantic Book Awards Society is pleased to announce the shortlists for the fourteen different book prizes that make up the 2021 Atlantic Book Awards. The nominated titles represent a wide range of books from Atlantic Canada—everything from hard-hitting non-fiction to illustrated children’s books to adult fiction, and a new poetry award created in 2020 by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia in honour of the late celebrated African-Nova Scotian poet and teacher, Maxine Tynes.

The full shortlist of nominated titles is printed below and is available at www.atlanticbookawards.ca.

Nova Scotia author Tyler LeBlanc leads the way, with an unprecedented four nominations for a compelling account of his family history, Acadian Driftwood: One Family and the Great Expulsion, published by Goose Lane Editions. Dirty Birds (Breakwater Books Ltd.), a coming-of-age rom-com thriller by Newfoundland author Morgan Murray, has three nominations.

There are four double award nominees on this year’s shortlist, including the late Silver Donald Cameron for his non-fiction work about the 2013 murder of Cape Breton fisher Phillip Boudreau, Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes (Viking Canada); shalan joudry for her collection of poetry, Waking Ground (Gaspereau Press); Julie Curwin for her novel The Appendage Formerly Known as Your Left Arm (Boularaderie Island Press); and Halifax’s former Poet Laureate Afua Cooper, for her book of poems and photographs focused on everyday Black experiences, Black Matters (Roseway Publishing), with photography by Wilfried Raussert.

The 2021 Atlantic Book Awards includes one of Canada’s biggest book prizes, the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, valued at $25,000 and celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year. This year’s Raddall Award nominees are St. John’s author Bridget Canning for her darkly comedic coming-of-age novel, Some People’s Children, (Breakwater Books); Morgan Murray for Dirty Birds (Breakwater Books); and Nova Scotia author Anne Simpson for her powerful novel about justice, witness and courage, Speechless (Freehand Books). Established in 1991 with an endowment by celebrated author Thomas Head Raddall, it provides “the gift of time and peace of mind” so essential to the creation of new work.

Twenty-nine of the forty-two nominations are for books published by Atlantic publishers. Nova Scotia’s Nimbus Publishing leads with six shortlisted titles, followed by Goose Lane Editions with five, while Newfoundland’s Breakwater Books has four. Other regional publishers are: Boulder Press and ISER Books (NL), and Boularderie Island Press, Gaspereau Press, Nevermore Press, New World Publishing, Roseway Publishing and Pottersfield Press (NS).

The 2021 Atlantic Book Festival and Awards takes place online, with the announcement of the shortlist made in partnership with New Brunswick’s Frye Festival. The winners will be announced on May 13.   Please visit  www.atlanticbookawards.ca for details on the virtual author readings and events taking place May 6 to12.

The 2021 Pioneer Award, going to someone from Nova Scotia who’s made a substantial contribution to the literary life of the region, will be announced when it’s awarded at the virtual Gala on May 13.

The board of the non-profit Atlantic Book Awards Society is made up of representatives of the Atlantic Canadian book and writing community. The 2021 Atlantic Book Awards and Festival gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Canada Book Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage, CTV, Halifax Public Libraries and the sponsorship of Alliance Française Halifax and Chapters/Indigo/Coles.