The Manitoba Publishing Awards Shortlists were announced today. Nice to see lots of Turnstone books on those lists too.  It’s also nice to see some of the genre books getting some love outside of the new Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction category.

As I interact with many of these writers regularly as a bookseller, I’m not going to pick favourites here on the blog (sorry to disappoint you and your bookie), except to say I will be rooting like crazy for Wayne Tefs (because he’s also my editor. You understand, right? Sure you do).

Enough blather! The very worthy books below:

Aqua Lansdowne Prize for Poetry
Prix Lansdowne de poésie

A Walker in the City by Méira Cook, Brick Books

Girlwood by Jennifer Still, Brick Books

Poème Pierre Prière by J. R. Léveillé, Les Éditions du Blé

Best Illustrated Book of the Year
Meilleur livre illustré de l’année

David’s Trip to Paraguay: The Country with Amazing Colours / Davids Reise in das Land der vielen Farben, story and design by Miriam Rudolph, CMU Press

The Imagination Manifesto: Book Three by GMB Chomichuk and John Toone, design and illustrated by GMB Chomichuk, Alchemical Press Ltd.

Portraits of Winnipeg by Robert J. Sweeney, cover and interior design Jamis Paulson, Turnstone Press

Manuela Dias Book Design of the Year
Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique en édition

Alert to Glory by Sally Ito, cover design by Jamis Paulson, Turnstone Press

Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishman by Wayne Tefs, cover design by Jamis Paulson, Turnstone Press

Poème Pierre Prière parJ. R. Léveillé, graphiste Bernard Léveillé, publié par Les Éditions du Blé

Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book

A Large Harmonium by Sue Sorensen, Coteau Books

Dadolescence by Bob Armstrong, Turnstone Press

Winnie the Bear by M.A. Appleby, self published

Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award
Prix littéraire Carol-Shields de la ville de Winnipeg

Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishman by Wayne Tefs, Turnstone Press

Forgotten Heroes: Winnipeg’s Hockey Heritage by Richard Brignall, J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing

Ravenscraig by Sandi Krawchenko Altner, Heartland Associates

Winnipeg Beach: Leisure and Courtship in a Resort Town, 1900-1967 by Dale Barbour, University of Manitoba Press

Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction

The Girl in the Wall by Alison Preston, Signature Editions

The Imagination Manifesto: Book Three by GMB Chomichuk and John Toone, Alchemical Press

The Thirteen by Susie Moloney, Random House Canada

The Valedictorians by David Annandale, Ravenstone (an imprint of Turnstone Press)

Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction

Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishmanby Wayne Tefs, Turnstone Press

The Girl in the Wall by Alison Preston, Signature Editions

A Large Harmonium by Sue Sorensen, Coteau Books

Not Being on a Boat by Esmé Claire Keith, Freehand Books (an imprint of Broadview Press)

Twelve Drummers Drummingby C.C. Benison, Double Day Canada

Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction
Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et essais

The Blaikie Report: An Insider’s Look at Faith and Politics by Bill Blaikie, United Church Publishing House

Canadian Labour in Crisis: Reinventing the Workers’ Movement by David Camfield,Fernwood Publishing

Community and Frontier: A Ukrainian Settlement in the Canadian Parkland by John C. Lehr, University of Manitoba Press

Good Places to Live: Poverty and Public Housing in Canadaby Jim Silver, Fernwood Publishing

King: William Lyon MacKenzie King: A Life Guided by the Hand of Destiny by Allan Levine, Douglas and McIntyre Publishers Inc.

John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer

Bob Armstrong

Jonathan Ball

Jennifer Still

Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher
Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba

Alert to Glory by Sally Ito, Turnstone Press

Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishman by Wayne Tefs, Turnstone Press

Butterfly Winter by W.P. Kinsella, Enfield and Wizenty (an imprint of Great Plains Publications)

La plus belle Création de Corbeau de David Bouchard, peintures de Brigitte Lopez, musique de Jana Mashonee, publié par Les Éditions des Plaines

What the Bear Said: Skald Tales of New Iceland by W.D. Valgardson, Turnstone Press

McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award
YOUNGER CATEGORY:

Annie’s Bright Idea: A Christmastime Adventure by Audrhea Lande, ill. by Jenny Prest, self published

Nanabosho and the Butterflies by Joe & Matrine McLellan, ill. by Jackie Traverse, Pemmican Publications

S is for Science: A Discovery of Alphabet by Larry Verstraete, Sleeping Bear Press

OLDER CATEGORY:

Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science by Larry Verstraete, Scholastic

Kingdom of Trolls by Rae Bridgman, Sybertooth

Tori by Design by Colleen Nelson, Great Plains Teen Fiction

McNally Robinson Book of the Year

Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishman by Wayne Tefs, Turnstone Press

Dancing, With Mirrors by George Amabile, Porcupine’s Quill

King: William Lyon MacKenzie King: A Life Guided by the Hand of Destiny by Allan Levine, Douglas & McIntyre Publishers Inc.

Not Being on a Boat by Esmé Claire Keith, Freehand Books (an imprint of Broadview Press)

Winnipeg Beach: Leisure and Courtship in a Resort Town, 1900-1967  by Dale Barbour, University of Manitoba Press