It is no secret that some of the world’s most beloved literature comes from authors living and writing in Ontario. We root for our home sports teams with gusto, but rarely do we rally and cheer our local authors. At this week’s Trillium Book Awards, hosted by the OMDC (Ontario Media Development Corporation), hundreds gathered in The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library to recognize, celebrate, honour and applaud our province’s top literary talent.
The classy annual affair brought together publishers, media, and voracious readers for a cocktail reception and sit-down dinner, and winners were announced following dessert. Always a difficult choice, this year’s Trillium Book Award and the Trillium Book Award for Poetry went to Kevin Hardcastle for Debris and Soraya Peerbaye for Tell: poems for a girlhood.
Receiving her award, Peerbaye gave a touching statement about how Tell: poems for a girlhood is dedicated to Reena Virk, a girl of South Asian descent who was murdered on November 14, 1997, in Saanich, British Columbia. Her poems also honour young girls of colour everywhere.
Hardcastle’s acceptance speech was moving in a different way. He thanked his family and credited his brother and father for being the inspiration behind the short stories in Debris.
If you are looking for some enthralling reads to get lost in this summer, you ought to start with the short list of finalists for this year’s Trillium Book Awards. The range of subject matter is as diverse as a list could ever be. From a teenager who forms a relationship with the ghost of Kurt Cobain to Damian Rogers’ poems that tackle the challenges of becoming a parent and losing a parent in Dear Leader, our bedside table is rich with Canadian content that is as exciting as it is engaging.
For a full list of titles and synopses, go to the OMDC site.
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