It’s a Wrap – A Christmas Themed Short Story Contest
It might be fall, but we all know how the holidays sneak up on us, so we made that sneaky habit of the holiday season the theme of this new short story contest!
There’s only one rule: Your story needs to be centered around getting ready for the Holiday season. And yes; ALL winter-themed celebrations are welcome in this contest, whether it be a based on something in your own life, or something entirely original.
So, grab a pen or laptop and get your creative juices flowing! And, as always, we look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Good luck!
Submission Guidelines
• Short story must be 2,500-7,000 words
• Please include page numbers in the upper right corner of your document.
• Do not include your name on any page of your manuscript. Only the story title.
• Please include a cover letter on a separate sheet that includes your name, home and email addresses, telephone number, story title and word count. Please specify if you’re a Guild member, non-member, or member of another Guild out of province (on the same sheet as the cover letter).
• We are accepting only email submissions for this contest. Please make sure your file is sent as a PDF, Word (.doc or .docx) or plain text Document (.txt).
• Send submissions to
Deadline: December 10th, 2021
Prizes: Your story published in our newsletter
A McNally Robinson Gift card ($50)
Category: News
Honouring our Manitoba Book Awards recipients
Without our usual gala, we were unable to suitably honour those who won awards during this year’s Manitoba Book Awards season. The Manitoba Writers’ Guild works as a team member of a coalition of organizations that coordinate the Awards, along with the Association of Book Publishers (AMBP), the Winnipeg International Writers Festival (WIWF) and the Winnipeg Libraries Association. The coalition organizes the submission process, finds jurors for each of the categories and organizes meetings with those jurors to determine our winners. Then, we usually plan a party where we can invite those on the shortlist, their families, friends and publishers to learn who the winners are and celebrate all the wonderful writers, book publishers and designers in Manitoba. Unfortunately, with the dreaded virus isolating all of us during the time when we usually hold the gala, we were unable to indulge in such an event this year.
Instead, the Guild has invited as many of the winners as we could find to be a part of our monthly virtual Book Chats, the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm. The one exception will be Colleen Nelson, winner of the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award (Older Category) for her middle grade novel, Harvey Holds His Own. We invited her to our Kids Book Chat on Saturday, September 11 at 2 pm so gather your kids and grandkids to the nearest computer, laptop, tablet or even your cell phone, to listen to Colleen and ask questions of this talented local author.
As for our evening virtual Book Chats, we invite anyone interested in hearing our authors read a portion of their award winning books to join us at any of the chats. Please note that you must email the Guild ahead of each chat for the Zoom information that will allow you to join the meeting.
On July 14, 2021, David A. Robertson read from his award winning book, Black Water, which won both the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction and the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. It was a thought-provoking evening with discussions on reconciliation and residential schools.
Here is a list of the other award winners, the awards they won and when their chats will be:
August 11, 2021 – Jonathan Ball‘s The Lightning of Possible Storms won the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
September 8, 2021 – Magdalene Redekop‘s Making Believe: Questions About Mennonites and Art won the Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher
October 13, 2021 – Duncan Mecredi & Lenard Monkman both won the Manitowapow Award for their work in literacy among the Indigenous Community
November 10, 2021 – Andrew Unger’s Once Removed won the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
December 8, 2021 – Lara Rae’s play Dragonfly won the Chris Johnson Award for Best Play by a Manitoba Playwright
January 9, 2022 – Amber O’Reilly’s poetry book, Gagnant – Boussole Franche, won Le Prix littéraire Rue-Deschambault
We are also planning an informative evening with the company Relish Design, which won most of the design awards in the Manuela Diaz Book Design and Illustration Awards category. It should be very interesting to see how their designers come up with the graphics for book covers and illustrations. Stay tuned for the date and time, which will be announced here and on our Facebook Events page.
As mentioned above, please email to receive the Zoom instructions or if you have any questions. If you want to read more about these writers, they will be featured in upcoming e-newsletters, but you must be a member to get it. Check out our Member page to learn how to become a member.
Info on the MWG Docudrama workshop series
The Manitoba Writers’ Guild has been collaborating with the Shoestring Players to develop another video to answer the question, how can the Creating a Docudrama workshop series help me improve my writing? You can find the videos on YouTube (see below for the links).
Watch Marilyn Slobogian, Nathan Zassman, Maureen Taggert and Karl Eckstrand discuss their manuscript problems and learn why they should become a team to take part in the workshop series. During this 8-week course, beginning on September 9th at 7 pm, participants will start their journey to create a publishable or performable piece of writing that includes:
- A tightly-plotted exploration of an issue, concern, or question that interests you
- Realistic and engaging dialogue
- Authoritative knowledge or research that informs but does not overwhelm
- Collaborative and independent work.
A docudrama can be a work of fiction or creative non-fiction. It can include poetic form, dance or even songs that can inform and entertain. It can be about a topic of interest to children or adults or both! It can be used to create an interesting script for a book launch or advertisement, such as the ad in the YouTube video.
The course will help you develop your writing skills, whether you have trouble with writing dialogue, tightening your plot, or developing characters. It is a fascinating format to explore any topic about which you feel most passionate. It will help writers at any stage of their writing career, whether you are just beginning your journey or whether you’ve been writing for years and want to try something new.
You can work independently or with a group, but it’s fun to share your ideas with others. If you want to sign up &/or if you have writing friends you’d like to work with at the workshop, please follow this link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/creating-a-docudrama-tickets-150383297491. Email the Guild ( ), if you want more to learn more about other payment options.
Cost: (includes eight two-hour sessions with online access to the course leader between sessions and light refreshments if we are able to hold sessions in ArtSpace)
$247 for Non-member of MWG
$197 for Regular MWG member
$147 for MWG member; student/low income
While we hope to be able to meet some of the participants in person, we want to make the sessions accessible via Zoom to those living outside of Winnipeg. If there are several people interested in taking the workshop together, I’m sure the local libraries will be able to make their WiFi available to you, so you can take in the sessions remotely in one of their program rooms. Please email the Guild office to learn more about how you can participate this way.
To learn more about what the course is all about, check out these fun YouTube Videos:
#1 link https://youtu.be/jtqQETbruGg (Introduction)
#2 link https://youtu.be/tgLyNjt0dt4 (Dialogue Development)
#3 link https://youtu.be/r86RT2hia04 (Improving writing skills)
#4 link https://youtu.be/WM6a7VZmn6Y (How it’s useful even if not a scriptwriter)
#5 link https://youtu.be/mpOMJkUBUSc (Use as educational tool)
#6 link https://youtu.be/8lXovI-Um38 (Zoom discussion with facilitator, Sharon Hamilton)
YOUR COURSE LEADER: Dr. Sharon Hamilton, Professor of English (Emerita), has enjoyed a lifetime of writing, drama, and teaching. In addition to her published memoir and over a hundred professional articles and book chapters, she is working on her fifth novel and has written two plays, performed in Winnipeg, Indianapolis, and Texas. She developed a senior level docudrama course at Indiana University and has adapted it as an eight-session workshop for the Manitoba Writers’ Guild. She created a docudrama for the 2019 launch of her fourth novel, Manitoba MAID, at McNally Robinson Booksellers.
*The above photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.1 Japan license
2021 Manitoba Book Awards Winners!
We, at the Manitoba Writers’ Guild, are pleased to announce this year’s winners of the
Manitoba Book Awards / Les Prix du livre du Manitoba
2021 Winners List
Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction / Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et essais
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
Winner – Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson, published by HarperCollins
Nominees:
For The W: A Look Back at the 2019 Grey Cup Championship Season by Ed Tait, edited by Rhéanne Marcoux, published by The Winnipeg Football Club
Peculiar Lessons: How Nature and the Material World Shaped a Prairie Childhood by Lois Braun, published by Great Plains Publications
Reinventing Bankruptcy Law: A History of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act by Virginia Torrie, published by University of Toronto Press
Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award / Prix littéraire Carol-Shields de la ville de Winnipeg
Sponsor: Winnipeg Arts Council, with funding from the City of Winnipeg
Winner – Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson, published by HarperCollins
Nominees:
Dispelling the Clouds: A Desperate Social Experiment by Wilma Derksen, published by Amity Publishers
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City, Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, published by HighWater Press
Harley’s Bootstraps by Lois C. Henderson, published by Friesen Press
TreeTalk by Ariel Gordon, with illustrations by Natalie Baird, published by At Bay Press
Vignettes from My Life by Tannis M. Richardson, published by Heartland Associates
Chris Johnson Award for Best Play by a Manitoba Playwright / Prix Chris-Johnson pour la meilleure pièce par un dramaturge manitobain
Sponsor: The Manitoba Association of Playwrights (MAP)
Winner – Dragonfly by Lara Rae, published by J. Gordon Shillingford
Nominees:
How it Ends by Debbie Patterson
Produced by Sick & Twisted Theatre
Inédit par Eric Plamondon, publié par by Les Éditions du Blé
The Paper Bag Princess by Alissa Watson
Produced by Prairie Theatre Exchange
Torn Through Time by Carrie Costello, Frances Koncan, and Cherissa Richards
Produced by Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
Sponsor: The Winnipeg Foundation
Winner – Once Removed by Andrew Unger, published by Turnstone Press
Nominees:
A Strange Kind of Comfort by Gaylene Dutchyshen, published by Dundurn Press
Heart Broken: Our Family’s Story of Surviving Medical Tragedy by Donald Lepp, published by Word Alive Press
Tablet Fragments by Tamar Rubin, published by Signature Editions
The Case of Windy Lake A Mighty Muskrats Mystery by Michael Hutchinson, published by Second Story Press
Manitowapow Award / Prix Manitowapow
Sponsor: Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture, University of Manitoba
Winners – Duncan Mercredi and Lenard Monkman
Nominees:
Wilfred Buck
David A. Robertson
Jen Storm
Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Awards / Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique et d’illustration en édition
I. Book Design / Conception de livre
Winner – Becoming our Future: Global Indigenous Curatorial Practice edited by Dr. Julie Nagam, Carly Lane, Megan Tamati-Quennell, original front cover design by Johnson Witehira, design and layout by Relish New Brand Experience, published by ARP Books
Nominees:
My Claustrophobic Happiness by Jeanne Randolph, book design and layout by LOKI, published by ARP Books
The Lesser Known: A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent by Darren Bernhardt, cover artwork by Christine Fellows, design and
typography by Relish New Brand Experience, published by Great Plains Publications
The Muse Sings by Dennis Cooley, illustrations by Cori Jaye Elston, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published
by At Bay Press
TreeTalk by Ariel Gordon, with illustrations by Natalie Baird, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Words of the Inuit: A Semantic Stroll through a Northern Culture by Louis-Jacques Dorais, cover design by Marvin Harder, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
II. Illustration
Winner – I Will See You Again written and illustrated by Lisa Boivin, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
Nominees:
For The W: A Look Back at the 2019 Grey Cup Championship Season by Ed Tait, edited by Rhéanne Marcoux, cover and interior design by Rhéanne Marcoux and Carrie Berndsen, various photographers, published by The Winnipeg Football Club
The Automatic Age written, illustrated and cover design by G.M.B. Chomichuk, design assistance by Relish New Brand Experience, published by Yellow Dog, an imprint of Great Plains Publishers
III. Graphic Novel / Roman graphique
Winner – This Place: 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm et al., illustrations by Tara Audibert et al., cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
Nominees:
Breakdown: The Reckoner Rises, Vol 1 by David A. Robertson, illustrations by Scott B. Henderson and Donovan Yaciuk, cover and interior design by Jennifer Lum, published by HighWater Press
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
Winner – The Lightning of Possible Storms by Jonathan Ball, published by Book*hug Press
Nominees:
Here the Dark by David Bergen, published by Biblioasis
Kate Wake by Mariianne Mays Wiebe, published by DC Books
My Claustrophobic Happiness by Jeanne Randolph, published by ARP Books
Still Me: A Golf Tragedy in 18 Parts by Jeffrey John Eyamie, published by Turnstone Press
Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher / Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba
Sponsor: Friesens Corporation
Winner – Making Believe: Questions About Mennonites and Art by Magdalene Redekop, cover design by David Drummond, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
Nominees:
Becoming Our Future: Global Indigenous Curatorial Practice edited by Dr. Julie Nagam, Carly Lane, Megan Tamati-Quennell, original front cover design by Johnson Witehira, design and layout by Relish New Brand Experience, published by ARP Books
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
I Will See You Again written and illustrated by Lisa Boivin, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
TreeTalk by Ariel Gordon, with illustrations by Natalie Baird, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
McNally Robinson Book for Young People (Older Category)
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Book Sellers
Winner – Harvey Comes Home by Colleen Nelson, illustrations by Tara Anderson, published by Pajama Press
Nominees:
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
Ghosts by David A. Robertson, published by HighWater Press
The Case of the Missing Auntie – A Mighty Muskrats Mystery: Book 2 by Michael Hutchinson, published by Second Story Press
You Don’t Have to Die in the End by Anita Daher, cover design by Jennifer Gabriele, interior design by Terry Corrigan, published by Yellow Dog, an imprint of Great Plains Publications
McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Book Sellers
Winner – Here the Dark by David Bergen, published by Biblioasis
Nominees:
Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson, published by Harper Collins
Dragonfly by Lara Rae, published by J. Gordon Shillingford
My Claustrophobic Happiness by Jeanne Randolph, published by ARP Books
Tablet Fragments by Tamar Rubin, published by Signature Editions
The World is Mostly Sky by Sarah Ens, published by Turnstone Press
Le Prix littéraire Rue-Deschambault Commandite: Conseil des arts du Manitoba
Le Prix littéraire Rue-Deschambault
Commandite: Conseil des arts du Manitoba
Gagnant – Boussole Franche par Amber O’Reilly, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Candidats :
Buffet Froid par Louise Dandeneau, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Ganiishomong: ou L’Extase du temps par J. R. Léveillé, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Congratulations to all winners and nominees!
2021 Shortlist for the Manitoba Book Awards
Manitoba Book Awards / Les Prix du livres du Manitoba
MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
30 APRIL/AVRIL 2021
(Winnipeg, MB) – On behalf of the coalition producing the 2021 Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba, we are excited to share the shortlists for 11 separate awards recognizing excellence in Manitoba writing, book design and illustration, and publishing. Congratulations to all the nominees!
As the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic weigh down upon us, we’re seeing artists reach out online to keep us grounded and to lift our spirits. It’s our turn to repay that favour.
Starting today, we will be spotlighting and celebrating these terrific local books—and the writers, publishers, designers and illustrators who make them happen—on our social media channels (FB: Manitoba Book Awards, Insta: @mbbookawards). Please connect with us there, then amplify those posts and create some of your own.
The pandemic means we will have to again forego the gala celebration but we will announce the winners via media release and social media on Thursday, May 20 at 11 a.m.
The Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba coalition—the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, Manitoba Writers’ Guild, Winnipeg International Writers Festival, and Winnipeg Public Library—is grateful to the award sponsors for their ongoing support.
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILS ON ALL ELEVEN AWARDS…
(Winnipeg, MB) — De la part de la coalition qui produit Les Prix du livre du Manitoba/Manitoba Book Awards 2021, nous sommes ravis de partager la liste de candidats sélectionnés pour les 11 prix distincts qui reconnaissent l’excellence de l’écriture, la mise en page, l’illustration et l’édition au Manitoba. Félicitations à tous les finalistes !
Alors que les défis de la pandémie de COVID-19 pèsent sur nous, nous sommes émus par le déploiement d’initiatives en ligne menées par des artistes pour nous aider à maintenir le calme et le moral. C’est maintenant à nous de leur rendre la pareille.
À partir d’aujourd’hui, nous mettrons en vedette et nous célébrerons ces livres locaux magnifiques et les auteures, auteurs, éditrices, éditeurs, conceptrices et concepteurs qui les produisent dans nos réseaux sociaux (FB: Manitoba Book Awards, Insta: @mbbookawards). Connectez-vous avec nous et amplifiez ces messages en créant les vôtres !
La pandémie nous pousse à renoncer encore la célébration gala, mais nous annoncerons les lauréates et lauréats de chacun des onze prix via un communiqué de presse et nos réseaux sociaux le jeudi 20 mai à 11 heures.
La coalition Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba—Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, Manitoba Writers Guild, Festival international des écrivains de Winnipeg et La Bibliothèque publique de Winnipeg—sont reconnaissants envers les commanditaires pour leur soutien continu.
VEUILLEZ FAIRE DÉFILER LA PAGE POUR OBTENIR DES DÉTAILS SUR LES ONZE PRIX…
Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction /
Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et essais
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson, published by HarperCollins
For The W: A Look Back at the 2019 Grey Cup Championship Season by Ed Tait, edited by Rhéanne Marcoux, published by The Winnipeg Football Club
Peculiar Lessons: How Nature and the Material World Shaped a Prairie Childhood by Lois Braun, published by Great Plains Publications
Reinventing Bankruptcy Law: A History of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act by Virginia Torrie, published by University of Toronto Press
Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award /
Prix littéraire Carol-Shields de la ville de Winnipeg
Sponsor: Winnipeg Arts Council, with funding from the city of Winnipeg
Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson, published by HarperCollins
Dispelling the Clouds: A Desperate Social Experiment by Wilma Derksen, published by Amity Publishers
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City, Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, published by HighWater Press
Harley’s Bootstraps by Lois C. Henderson, published by FriesenPress
TreeTalk by Ariel Gordon, with illustrations by Natalie Baird, published by At Bay Press
Vignettes from My Life by Tannis M. Richardson, published by Heartland Associates
Chris Johnson Award for Best Play by a Manitoba Playwright /
Prix Chris-Johnson pour la meilleure pièce par un dramaturge manitobain
Sponsor: The Manitoba Association of Playwrights (MAP)
Dragonfly by Lara Rae, published by J. Gordon Shillingford
How it Ends by Debbie Patterson, produced by Sick + Twisted Theatre
Inédit par Eric Plamondon, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
The Paper Bag Princess by Alissa Watson, produced by Prairie Theatre Exchange
Torn Through Time by Carrie Costello, Frances Koncan, and Cherissa Richards, produced by Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
Sponsor: The Winnipeg Foundation
A Strange Kind of Comfort by Gaylene Dutchyshen, published by Dundurn Press
Heart Broken: Our Family’s Story of Surviving Medical Tragedy by Donald Lepp, published by Word Alive Press
Once Removed by Andrew Unger, published by Turnstone Press
Tablet Fragments by Tamar Rubin, published by Signature Editions
The Case of Windy Lake A Mighty Muskrats Mystery by Michael Hutchinson, published by Second Story Press
Manitowapow Award / Prix Manitowapow
Sponsor: Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture, University of Manitoba
Wilfred Buck
Duncan Mercredi
Lenard Monkman
David A. Robertson
Jen Storm
Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Awards /
Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique et d’illustration en édition
I. Book Design / Conception de livre
Becoming Our Future: Global Indigenous Curatorial Practice edited by Dr. Julie Nagam, Carly Lane, Megan Tamati-Quennell, original front cover design by Johnson Witehira, design and layout by Relish New Brand Experience, published by ARP Books
My Claustrophobic Happiness by Jeanne Randolph, book design and layout by LOKI, published by ARP Books
The Lesser Known: A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent by Darren Bernhardt, cover artwork by Christine Fellows, design and typography by Relish New Brand Experience, published by Great Plains Publications
The Muse Sings by Dennis Cooley, illustrations by Cori Jaye Elston, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
TreeTalk by Ariel Gordon, with illustrations by Natalie Baird, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Words of the Inuit: A Semantic Stroll through a Northern Culture by Louis-Jacques Dorais, cover design by Marvin Harder, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
II. Illustration
For The W: A Look Back at the 2019 Grey Cup Championship Season by Ed Tait, edited by Rhéanne Marcoux, cover and interior design by Rhéanne Marcoux and Carrie Berndsen, various photographers, published by The Winnipeg Football Club
I Will See You Again by Lisa Boivin, illustrations by Lisa Boivin, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
The Automatic Age, written, illustrated, and cover design by G.M.B. Chomichuk, design assistance by Relish New Brand Experience, published by Yellow Dog, an imprint of Great Plains Publications
III. Graphic Novel / Roman graphique
Breakdown: The Reckoner Rises, Vol 1 by David A. Robertson, illustrations by Scott B. Henderson and Donovan Yaciuk, cover and interior design by Jennifer Lum, published by HighWater Press
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
This Place: 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm et al., illustrations by Tara Audibert et al., cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
Here the Dark by David Bergen, published by Biblioasis
Kate Wake by Mariianne Mays Wiebe, published by DC Books
My Claustrophobic Happiness by Jeanne Randolph, published by ARP Books
Still Me: A Golf Tragedy in 18 Parts by Jeffrey John Eyamie, published by Turnstone Press
The Lightning of Possible Storms by Jonathan Ball, published by Book*hug Press
Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher /
Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba
Sponsor: Friesens Corporation
Becoming Our Future: Global Indigenous Curatorial Practice edited by Dr. Julie Nagam, Carly Lane, Megan Tamati-Quennell, original front cover design by Johnson Witehira, design and layout by Relish New Brand Experience, published by ARP Books
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
I Will See You Again written and illustrated by Lisa Boivin, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
Making Believe: Questions About Mennonites and Art by Magdelene Redekop, cover design by David Drummond, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
TreeTalk by Ariel Gordon, with illustrations by Natalie Baird, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers
Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson, published by HarperCollins
Dragonfly by Lara Rae, published by J. Gordon Shillingford
Here the Dark by David Bergen, published by Biblioasis
My Claustrophobic Happiness by Jeanne Randolph, published by ARP Books
Tablet Fragments by Tamar Rubin, published by Signature Editions
The World is Mostly Sky by Sarah Ens, published by Turnstone Press
McNally Robinson Books for Young People (Older Category)
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers
From the Roots Up: Surviving the City Vol. 2 by Tasha Spillett, illustrations by Natasha Donovan, published by HighWater Press
Ghosts by David A. Robertson, published by HighWater Press
Harvey Comes Home by Colleen Nelson, illustrations by Tara Anderson, published by Pajama Press
The Case of the Missing Auntie – A Mighty Muskrats Mystery: Book 2 by Michael Hutchinson, published by Second Story Press
You Don’t Have to Die in the End by Anita Daher, published by Yellow Dog, an imprint of Great Plains Publications
Prix littéraire Rue-Deschambault
Commanditaire : Conseil des arts du Manitoba
Boussole Franche par Amber O’Reilly, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Buffet Froid par Louise Dandeneau, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Ganiishomong: ou L’Extase du temps par J. R. Léveillé, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Congratulations to all the nominees!
Félicitations à tous les finalistes !
Félicitations à tous les finalistes !
For more information:
Website: manitobabookawards.ca
Social media: Manitoba Book Awards / @mbbookawards
Note our new website address!
Pour plus de renseignements :
Site web: manitobabookawards.ca
Média sociaux : Manitoba Book Awards / @mbbookawards
Notez la nouvelle adresse du site web !
Ron Hore – our next Book Chat author
On May 12, 2021, (7 pm) at our next Book Chat, prolific Manitoba writer, Ron Hore will read something from his huge body of work. To be a part of this online event, email for the Zoom instructions.
When asked to send in his bio for the Book Chat, this is what Ron had to say:
A reader of genre fiction since an early age, I got down to serious attempts at writing over thirty years ago, although employment kept getting in the way.
During those years I wrote a considerable amount of non-fiction, enough to be listed as a professional writer by the Canadian Authors Association.
Hobbies include trying to keep on the good side of my wife, keep track of my children and grandchildren, photography, and wrestling the blasted cat off the keyboard. In my diminishing spare time, I reminisce about the good old days of sailing on Lake Winnipeg and the occasions we got lost.
My writing history includes:
Winning first prize in 2006 for a national Canadian Authors Assoc. short story contest (a romantic ghost story: “Midnight”) and being published in their anthology that year, and a modern vampire tale “Chrysalis” published in an anthology “Evolve” that did quite well after its launch at the 2010 World Horror Convention in Brighton, England which I attended.
A current member of two writing organizations, the Canadian Authors’ Association and the Manitoba Writers’ Guild, I have served as a director on the CAA Executive. For several years I was in charge of the judging for a national Canadian history book contest and chaired a writer’s workshop in Winnipeg that in 2005 self-published an anthology, “Pieces of Eight,” including three of my own selections: a sci fi piece, an attempt at an epic poem, and a true tale of how I almost drowned my brother and his wife in a storm the first year I owned a sailboat.
I currently review science fiction and fantasy genre novels and anthologies for an on-line magazine aimed primarily at libraries. I am losing track, but I have done somewhere over 80 reviews so far.
In 2010 I co-authored a nonfiction history: “The Rotary Club of Winnipeg-100 Years of Service.”
Through Champagne Book Group (www.champagnebooks.com) I have a medieval fantasy trilogy of novels of murder and intrigue entitled: “The Dark Lady,” “Dark Days,” and “Dark Knights,” and a second high-fantasy trilogy: “The Queen’s Pawn,” “The Queen’s Man,” and “The Queen’s Game.” My latest trilogy is a Sci-Fi Space Opera: “Of Destiny’s Daughters,” “Hammer Across the Stars,” and “Expeditions to Earth.” I also write a series of fantasy detective novellas under: “The Housetrap Chronicles.” Ten of these are now available as individual tales with the first six gathered within two collections and a third on the way. There is also a standalone medieval-style novella, “Knights Bridge.” There is a stand-alone novel released through Champagne, “Alex in Wanderland,” a modern bickering couple in a Dark Age alternate universe, tale. BURST Books is a division of Champagne books.
Under eTreasures Publishing (www.etreasurespublishing.com) I’ve had a speculative fiction adventure novel about a lady archeologist: “We’re Not in Kansas,” released, and my Toltec Empire conquers Europe What-If trilogy, set in 1215AD: “Toltec Dawn,” “Toltec Khan,” and “Toltec Noon.”
All of my Burst/Champagne and eTreasures products are available as ebooks through the publishers, or the usual on-line sources, with most also available in print. And with any luck, there will be still more madness to come.
To learn more about Ron (R.J.) Hore, follow the links:
Bibliography – Publishing Record of R.J.Hore
(As of February 2021)
2006 – Canadian Authors Assoc. Canwrite Collection of Short Stories – First Place – “Midnight”
2010 – “Rotary Club of Winnipeg 100 Years of Service” – a co-author
2010 – “EVOLVE – Vampire Stories of the New Undead” – EDGE – “Chrysalis”
Champagne Book Group – The Novels
2012 – “The Dark Lady” 2014 – “Dark Days” 2014 – “Dark Knights”
2013 – “The Queen’s Pawn” 2015 – “The Queen’s Man” 2016 – “The Queen’s Game”
2014 – “The Housetrap Chronicles, Volume 1” Collection of the first three HT novellas
2014 – “The Housetrap Chronicles, Volume 2” Collection of the next three HT novellas
2015 – “Alex in Wanderland”
2019 – “Of Destiny’s Daughters” 2020 – “Hammer Across the Stars” 2020 – “Expeditions to Earth”
Champagne Book Group – The Novellas
2013 – “Knight’s Bridge”
The Housetrap Chronicles Series of Novellas:
2012 – “Housetrap” (1)
2013 – “Dial M for Mudder” (2)
2013 – “House on Hollow Hill” (3)
2013 – “Hounds of Basalt Ville” (4)
2014 – “Murder in the Rouge Mort” (5)
2014 – “Treasure of the Sarah Madder” (6)
2015 – “Menagerie à Trois” (7)
2017 – “Murder on the Disoriented Express” (8)
2020 – “Silence of the Sands” (9)
2021 – “The Road to Hell is Paved with Parsnips” (10)
eTreasures Publishing – The Novels
2916 – “We’re Not in Kansas”
2016 – “Toltec Dawn”…2016 – “Toltec Khan”…2018 – “Toltec Noon”
New virtual workshops
Save the Dates for…
…a new and exciting series of virtual workshops presented by the
World Building – May 15, 2021 at 2 pm
Creating Compelling Characters – June 19, 2021 at 2 pm
Copyright Law/Publishing Contracts – July 17, 2021 at 2 pm
With Den Valdron, a speculative fiction writer, pop-culture essayist and aboriginal rights lawyer, living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a writer, his short stories have been published in magazines and anthologies in North America, Britain, Australia and Russia. He has several collections of speculative fiction and horror stories and novels. He’s also published extensive nonfiction about Canadian Sci Fi – LEXX and Starlost, Cult television and movies, including Doctor Who, and topics as diverse as writing, publishing, self publishing, 1930’s pulps, Lovecraft, Burroughs, Godzilla and nerd culture. His website and blog are at denvaldron.com.
MWG Members receive a discount on workshop fees.
If you are interested in these writing topics and want to join us,
please email the Manitoba Writers’ Guild at
for more information.
International Women’s Day 2021
I was recently reminded that March 8th, 2021 is International Women’s Day. I checked the website and found that this year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge. According to them, “A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.” They are requesting people to send in images of themselves with a hand up high to their #ChooseToChallenge site at: http://www.internationalwomensday.com
This made me reflect on all the awesome women writers in Manitoba and specifically those who belong to the Manitoba Writers’ Guild. I went over our membership list and found almost 75% of our members identify as female. Half of our Board of Directors are female. In the past year, almost 72% of our members, who were featured in our newsletter and in our Book Chats, have been women. These statistics make me proud to be a member of the Guild. Please take the time to tell the women in your life that they are loved and appreciated.
30 Remarkable Books
David Elias – My Manitoba Book Awards experience
David Elias was shortlisted for the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction so we asked him about his experience:
- How did you hear about the Manitoba Book Awards?
Answer: I received an email from my publisher, ECW Press, informing me that my book, Elizabeth of Bohemia: A Novel about Elizabeth Stuart, The Winter Queen, had been nominated for the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.
- How was the process for submitting your book? If you submitted to previous Book Awards, how did the process differ, for better or worse?
Answer: ECW Press took care of everything. They submitted the book for a number of other awards, as well. As it turned out, the novel was also selected as a finalist for the Foreword Reviews Indie Awards, which is American.
- Have you attended Book Awards Galas, in the past? If so, what were your impressions of the evenings. With the COVID-19 situation putting a damper on our ceremony this year, is there something you think we should have done instead of simply announcing the winners in an online forum?
Answer: I’ve attended a number of Book Awards in various cities. In 2005 I attended the Amazon First Novel Award ceremonies in Toronto when my novel, Sunday Afternoon, was one of the finalists. It was an elaborate affair, with special guests and plenty of food and refreshments. That year I also attended the Manitoba Book Awards because the same novel was nominated for both the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year. It was held at the Hotel Fort Garry in one of the ballrooms, with all the accoutrements of a gala event. I’ve attended the Manitoba Book Awards on other occasions, as well, including the year Brenda Sciberras, to whom I am married, won the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book for her collection of poetry, Magpie Days.
This year’s nomination for the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction was great, but to say that Covid-19 put a damper on things is putting it mildly! Nothing compares to a live in-person event. Other than a couple of congratulatory emails, it was basically “crickets”. There was some mention of interviews with the nominees that would be posted online, and I thought the local media might step in and do a bit more to promote the awards, but none of that materialized.
- How did you feel when you received the email announcing that you’d made the shortlist?
Answer: I was certainly happy to receive the nomination, but I didn’t anticipate it. I’ve written other books that I thought might be nominated that got passed over, so I’ve learned not to get my hopes up.
- What more can we do to help you receive the accolades you deserve?
Answer: I think what you are doing now – interviewing me you about my experience, featuring me in your newsletter, and your plans to have me as the Featured Author at an upcoming virtual Book Chat are all terrific. I really couldn’t ask for more.
- What else would you like to say about the experience?
Answer: When you’re nominated for an award, it’s certainly an affirmation, which can really be a boost. But what about all those accomplished writers who never get to have that experience? When I was writing Elizabeth of Bohemia, I reached a point where found myself in something of an existential crisis, and had to stop and think about what I was up to. It was taking years of research and effort to write the book – with no contract, and no prospects that it would ever be published. What if nothing came of it?! After not writing for a while, I realized how much I missed Elizabeth. And she missed me! But what I missed most was the work, the process. I decided let go of my expectation, my striving for “success”, and soon I was back at work. It changed me as a writer. I felt calmer after that, quieter.
Thanks, David, for the insight into your experience. I hope what we are doing will help you as a writer.
Also, congratulations on your upcoming virtual launch on October 20 through McNally Robinson Booksellers (https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/event-18012/David-Elias-Online-Book-Launch#.X4dzu9BKjIU). Hope your new book, The Truth About The Barn does well.