Cross-Publisher Celebration: Kathleen Winter Nominated for Weston Prize

We're excited to announce -- to any who have not yet heard the news -- that Kathleen Winter was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.  No, this is not a Biblioasis book; it was published by the excellent House of Anansi.  But neither does that matter: we still take great pleasure in Kathleen's success, and wish her all the best with this wonderful book, one which most certainly a book should be on all Thirsty readers reading lists.

For more information on the Weston Prize shortlist, please go here.

Andrew Steinmetz is a busy, busy man...

Still in the whirlwind of the Weston Prize shortlist, Andrew Steinmetz has been all over the internet discussing his acclaimed book This Great Escape and writing life in general.

You'll be able to catch him in person as part of Biblioasis' big Toronto launch at the Garrison tomorrow night, but until then, here's a few ways to get your This Great Escape fix:

The Toronto Star published their wonderful review of This Great Escape today:
"With extraordinary emotional intensity, Steinmetz reclaims this son, friend, actor, cousin, for us all. His close-up of an almost-famous man challenges easy assumptions about who deserves a biography … beguiling."

Open Book Toronto featured Andrew in their Weston Words feature last week, in which he talks about his reaction to the award nod, his favourite non-fiction books and his future projects.

He also chatted with CBC Books on All in a Day back in September and the LPG's Writer's Block about books that have influenced his work, his work space, and his reasons for writing.

If you're in the Toronto area, head to The Garrison (1197 Dundas St. W.) tomorrow (Thursday) night for the big Biblioasis launch where you'll be able to catch Steinmetz live, as well as Cynthia Flood, Lucie Wilk, Mauricio Segura, Norm Sibum, Alexandra Oliver and Richard Norman.

We'll also have music from Massey Harris, and a chance to win a beautiful limited-edition leather-bound copy of David Mason's The Pope's Bookbinder, to be drawn in November.

Not enough Biblioasis for you? You'll also have the chance to proclaim your love in t-shirt form with our brand new (and already in great demand) South Detroit shirts. Get yours for only $15 at the launch.

spiderwebs, bats, and plastic torso not included

"This Great Escape" Shortlisted for $60,000 Hilary Weston Prize

Biblioasis is proud to announce that

THIS GREAT ESCAPE

The Case of Michael Paryla

by Andrew steinmetz

has been shortlisted for the 2013

HILARY WESTON WRITERS’ TRUST PRIZE FOR NONFICTION

Valued at $60,000

At a ceremony held this morning at Maple Leaf Gardens, the Honourable Hilary M. Weston announced that Andrew Steinmetz’s This Great Escape: The Case of Michael Paryla (Biblioasis 2013) has been shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

Praising Steinmetz for his “obsessive and poetic gaze,” Weston called This Great Escape—the biography of a part-Jewish actor, cast as a Gestapo agent in the 1963 Steve McQueen/John Sturges film—“inventive and suprisingly humorous.”

At $60,000, the Weston is Canada’s richest nonfiction prize, and one of the largest nonfiction prizes in the world. First established by the Writers’ Trust in 1997 and sponsored by Viacom, the prize was endowed by philanthropist and former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Hilary M. Weston in 2011. Previous winners include Candace Savage, Charles Foran, James FitzGerald, Brian Brett, and Anna Porter.

The other nominees include Thomas King (The Inconvenient Indian), J.B. McKinnon (The Once and Future World), Graeme Smith (The Dogs are Eating Them Now), and Priscila Uppal (Projection). Each will receive a prize of $5,000, and the winner, to be announced at the annual gala on Oct. 21^st, will receive an additional $55,000.

This year’s judges are Hal Niedzviecki, Samantha Nutt, Candace Savage, Andreas Shroeder, and Evan Solomon.

For more about This Great Escape, trade reviews, ordering information, or for a Q&A with Andrew Steinmetz, please read on. An interview also appeared in last Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen.

One More Reason to Live: Why Not? Shortlisted for Canada's Largest Nonfiction Prize

It is with extreme pleasure and pride that we announce the shortlisting of Ray Robertson's Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to Live for the $60,000 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Nonfiction Prize.

Previously the Writers' Trust Prize, the Trust received a generous endowment from the Hon. Hilary Weston in May of 2011, creating what is now the largest nonfiction prize in Canada, and one of the most valuable nonfiction prizes in the world.

The prize is awarded for literary excellence in the category of nonfiction, which includes, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays; memoirs; commentary; and criticism, both social and political; history; and biography.

The shortlist was announced in a press conference held at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. The other nominees are: Grant Lawrence (Adventures in Solitude), Richard Gwyn (Nation Maker), Charlotte Gill (Eating Dirt), and Charles Foran (Mordecai).

All nominees receive a cash prize of $5,000.00. The winner will be announced at the a special gala on October 25, 2011.