Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to the Commissioner of the Yukon, the honourable Angélique Bernard. The Commissioner talks about how the Borealis Prize got started, the importance of honouring storytelling, and her love of Agatha Christie novels. ABOUT ANGELIQUE BERNARD: Angélique Bernard is the first Francophone Commissioner in the history of the Yukon. She holds a Bach...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Joanna Lilley. Joanna is a Yukon poet who won the 2021 Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution. In their conversation Joanna shares her reaction to hearing she'd won the Borealis Prize, and her advice to writers trying to get their work published. ABOUT JOANNA LILLEY: Joanna Lilley’s fifth book and thir...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Roy Henry Vickers and Lucky Budd, who created Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak, which was a finalist for the 2021 Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Awards. In their conversation, Roy and Lucky talk about power of telling stories from the heart and how they search for musicality in their stories. ABOUT ROY HENRY VICKERS: Roy Henry Vickers is a re...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Billy-Ray Belcourt, author of A History of My Brief Body. A History of My Brief Body won the 2021 Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize and was a finalist for the 2021 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. In their conversation Billy-Ray discusses why he wanted to write about love in his memoir, and how playing with genre can be a anti-col...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Shaena Lambert, author of Petra. Petra won the 2021 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In their conversation Shaena talks about how she met Petra Kelly and how growing up in Horseshoe Bay helped her write about Berlin and Germany. ABOUT SHAENA LAMBERT: Shaena Lambert is the author of the novel, Radiance and two books of stories, Oh, My Darling...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Melanie Siebert, author of Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health. Heads Up was a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Melanie talks the interviews and stories she integrated into the book as well as how we have defined what's normal while pathologizing the various spectrums of huma...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Valerie Mason-John, author of I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin. I Am Still Your Negro was a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. In their conversation Valerie talks about how she used poetic forms like the sonnet and the villanelle to tackle domestic violence and racial trauma. ABOUT VALERIE MASON-JOHN: P...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Jordan Scott, author of I Talk Like A River, which was illustrated by Sydney Smith. I Talk Like A River was a finalist for the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Jordan talks about why he wrote a children's book, and how poetry helped him approach the storytelling and writing in I Talk Li...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Joel Bakan, author of The New Corporation: How "Good" Corporations are Bad for Democracy which won the 2021 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. Joel talks about consumer power and how the pandemic served as a magnifying glass for the problems we are facing. ABOUT JOEL BAKAN: Joel Bakan is an internationally recognized and award-wi...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Rina Singh and Ellen Rooney, the author and illustrator of Grandmother School. Grandmother School is the winner of the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Rina and Ellen talk about intergenerational relationships and the power of literacy and storytelling. ABOUT RINA SINGH: Rina Singh has...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Dan Bar-El, author of Just Beyond the Very, Very Far North, which is a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. Dan discusses how The Very, Very Far North became a series, and why he uses animals as the characters in some of his books. ABOUT DAN BAR-EL: Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children’s author, educator...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Briony Penn, author of Following the Good River: The Life and Times of Wa'xaid, which is a finalist for the 2021 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. Briony talks about how she met Cecil Paul and how working with and building a friendship with Cecil opened her eyes to truths about colonization and capitalism in Canada. ABOUT BRIONY PENN...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Annabel Lyon, author of Consent, which is a finalist for the 2021 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Annabel talks about how the book looks at consent, the way that a feminist look at Crime and Punishment inspired two of her characters, and what she'd do differently if she was writing the book now. ABOUT ANNABEL LYON: Annabel Lyon is the autho...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to David McIlwraith, editor of The Diary of Dukesang Wong: A Voice from Gold Mountain, which is a finalist for the 2021 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. In their conversation David talks about how he found the diaries, and how the white settler lens has shaped how we see the Chinese experience in the colonization of Canada. ABOUT DAVID...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Tanya Lloyd Kyi, whose book Me and Banksy is a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Tanya talks about privacy and how privacy is different for teens. They also talk about youth activism and how the artwork and activism of Banksy influenced the book. ABOUT TANYA LLOYD KYI: Tanya Lloyd K...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Benjamin Perrin, whose book Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada's Opioid Crisis is a finalist for the 2021 Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize and is a finalist for the 2021 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. In their conversation Ben talks about what led him to write and research the book along with the transformation he faced wh...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Sara Cassidy, whose book Genius Jolene is a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Sara talks about why she wrote about food and the joy of eating, and how she learned a bit about what it's like to travel in an 18-wheeler. ABOUT SARA CASSIDY: Sara Cassidy’s books have been short-listed f...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Joseph Dandurand, author of The East Side of it All, which is a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. In their conversation Joseph talks about his writing process and how fishing and the river influence his work. ABOUT JOSEPH DANDURAND: Joseph Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River about...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Liz Levine, author of Nobody Ever Talks About Anything But The End, which is a finalist for the 2021 Hubert Evans Nonfiction Prize. In their conversation Liz talks about where the title of the book came from and how she navigated concerns about her sister and her family's privacy in her writing. A Note: In the conversation Liz and Megan...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Grant Buday, author of Orphans of Empire, which is a finalist for the 2021 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. In their conversation Grant discusses the characters that bring the history of BC and New Brighton to life, and how when research ran dry, he filled in the gaps with imagination and fiction. ABOUT GRANT BUDAY: Grant Buday is th...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Michael Prior, whose book Burning Province is a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. In their conversation Michael talks about watching Star Wars with his grandparents, the way literature is bringing the history of Japanese Internment into the present, and how he finds metaphors within his work to help with the writing. A...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Bonnie Sherr Klein , author of Beep Beep Bubbie, which is a finalist for the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Bonnie talks about how her own experiences with mobility shaped Beep Beep Bubbie, and how her grand kids helped her write the book. ABOUT BONNIE SHERR KLEIN: Bonnie Sherr Klein...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Eva Holland, author of Nerve: A Personal Journey Through the Science of Fear, which is a finalist for the 2021 Hubert Evans Nonfiction Prize. In their conversation Eva talks about how she immersed herself in the research for this book while navigating the very personal stories of her own fear. ABOUT EVA HOLLAND: Eva Holland is a freelan...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Eve Lazarus, author of Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City's Hidden History, which is a finalist for the 2021 Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award. In their conversation Eve talks about the blog that inspired the book and how buildings are an important part of remembering and retelling a city's history. ABOUT EVE LAZARUS: Eve Laz...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Susan Sanford Blades, author of Fake It So Real which is a finalist for the 2021 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In their conversation Susan talks about how the Victoria punk scene provided the setting to start her story, why mother-daughter relationships are important in the novel, and now Nomeansno's Tom Holliston ended up writing a blurb...