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2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards Shortlist

The moment we’ve been anticipating is here—the announcement of the 2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards shortlist!

These awards, presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA), honour excellence in book publishing in our province across over a dozen categories. Established in 1994, these annual awards are a chance for the Alberta book community to take stock and celebrate all the amazing work that has been accomplished over this unusual and challenging year. 

The winners will be awarded at a presentation, which will be held on the BPAA YouTube channel at 3PM MT on Friday, September 17! View it here: http://ow.ly/qP0g50G6tka and join the conversation on social media at #ABPubAwards#ABbooks.

Click on the publisher name next to each shortlisted book listed below to find more information about that title. And click the “Shop Local” button at the top of the list, to find your local, independent bookstore.

Congratulations to this year’s finalists!

Find a bookstore near you:

Children’s & YA

The publishers nominated in this category are: Tyche Books, Renegade Arts Entertainment, and Red Barn Books, for the following books:

Book cover image for Hollow
Hollow
by Rhonda Parrish
Published; Mar 24, 2020 by Tyche Books
ISBN: 9781989407141
ABC Monstrosity

Shea Proulx (CA)

Published: Sep 16, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903880
A Slug Story

Mandi Kujawa (CA), Hana Kujawa

Published: Sep 09, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903767
Howdy, I’m John Ware

Ayesha Clough (CA)

Published: Jun 01, 2020 by Red Barn Books
ISBN: 9781999108786

Speculative Fiction

The publishers nominated in this category are: Laksa Media Groups, Renegade Arts Entertainment, and NeWest Press, for the following books:

Flights of Marigold

Susan Forest (CA)

Published: Jun 08, 2021 by Laksa Media Groups Inc
ISBN: 9781988140223
Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures

Published: Oct 21, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754030
In Veritas

C.J. Lavigne (CA)

Published: May 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732831

Learning

The publishers nominated in this category are: Athabasca University Press, and Brush Education, for the following books:

25 Years of Ed Tech

Martin Weller

Published: Feb 14, 2020 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771993050
The Educational Assistant’s Guide to Supporting Inclusion in a Diverse Society

Carole Massing (CA), Bonnie Anderson (CA), Carol Anderson (CA)

Published: Aug 03, 2020 by Brush Education
ISBN: 9781550598582
Gross Morphology of Common Diseases

Published: Feb 07, 2020 by Brush Education
ISBN: 9781550596854
Rapid Response Guide to Opioid Emergencies

Greg Clarkes (CA)

Published: Jul 16, 2020 by Brush Education
ISBN: 9781550598414

Trade Fiction

The publishers nominated in this category are: NeWest Press, Stonehouse Publishing, and Freehand Books, for the following books:

Goth Girls of Banff

John O'Neill (CA)

Published: Nov 15, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732954
Humane

Anna Marie Sewell (CA)

Published: Nov 02, 2020 by Stonehouse Publishing
ISBN: 9781988754246
Watershed

Doreen Vanderstoop (CA)

Published: May 01, 2020 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781988298597

Graphic Novel

The publisher nominated in this category is: Renegade Arts Entertainment, for the following books:

A Slug Story

Mandi Kujawa (CA), Hana Kujawa

Published: Sep 09, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903767
Awkward Pause

Ryan Harby (CA)

Published: Sep 09, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754023
Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures

Published: Oct 21, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754030

Poetry

The publishers nominated in this category are: NeWest Press, University of Calgary Press, and Frontenac House, for the following books:

Lullabies in the Real World

Meredith Quartermain (CA)

Published: Apr 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732787
The Manhattan Project

Ken Hunt (CA)

Published: Jun 15, 2020 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773850542
Nautilus and Bone

Lisa Richter (CA)

Published: Nov 15, 2020 by Frontenac House Ltd.
ISBN: 9781989466124
Response of Weeds, The: A Misplacement of Black Poetry on the Prairies

Bertrand Bickersteth (CA)

Published: Apr 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732794

Trade Non-Fiction

The publishers nominated in this category are: University of Alberta Press, NeWest Press, and Eschia Books, for the following books:

An Autobiography of the Autobiography of Reading

Dionne Brand (CA)

Published: Jan 08, 2020 by Canadian Literature Centre / Centre de littérature canadienne
ISBN: 9781772125085
Taken by the Muse: On the Path to Becoming a Filmmaker

Anne Wheeler (CA)

Published: Oct 15, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774390016
Mother Earth Plants for Health & Beauty: Indigenous Plants, Traditions, and Recipes

Carrie Armstrong (CA)

Published: Dec 01, 2020 by Eschia Books
ISBN: 9781926696645

Regional

The publishers nominated in this category are: Frontenac House, Red Barn Books, and NeWest Press, for the following books:

Borderlands

Mark Vitaris (CA)

Published: Oct 01, 2020 by Frontenac House Ltd.
ISBN: 9781989466070
Howdy, I’m John Ware

Ayesha Clough (CA)

Published: Jun 01, 2020 by Red Barn Books
ISBN: 9781999108786
Response of Weeds, The: A Misplacement of Black Poetry on the Prairies

Bertrand Bickersteth (CA)

Published: Apr 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732794

Scholarly and Academic

The publishers nominated in this category are: University of Alberta Press, and Athabasca University Press, for the following books:

Our Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed / Gwich’in K’yuu Gwiidandài’ Tthak Ejuk Gòonlih: Stories from the People of the Land

Leslie McCartney (CA), Gwich'in Tribal Council

Published: Dec 09, 2020 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772124828
The Art of Communication in a Polarized World

Kyle Conway (CA)

Published: Mar 31, 2020 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771992930

Book Cover Design

The publishers nominated in this category are: Freehand Books, NeWest Press, and Athabasca University Press, for the following books, which feature book cover design by Natalie Olsen (Kisscut Design), and David Gee: 

The End of Me

John Gould (CA)

Published: May 01, 2020 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781988298566
Horseplay: My Time Undercover on the Granville Strip

Norm Boucher (CA)

Published: Nov 15, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732985
The Virtues of Disillusionment

Steven Heighton (CA)

Published: Sep 30, 2020 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771993265

Book Design

The publishers nominated in this category are: University of Alberta Press, Freehand Books, University of Calgary Press, and NeWest Press, for the following books, which feature book design by Alan Brownoff, Natalie Olsen (Kisscut Design), and Melina Cusano: 

All the Feels / Tous les sens: Affect and Writing in Canada / Affect et écriture au Canada

Published: Jan 06, 2021 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772124873
If Sylvie Had Nine Lives

Leona Theis (CA)

Published: Sep 01, 2020 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781988298719
The Manhattan Project

Ken Hunt (CA)

Published: Jun 15, 2020 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773850542
Response of Weeds, The: A Misplacement of Black Poetry on the Prairies

Bertrand Bickersteth (CA)

Published: Apr 01, 2020 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781988732794

Book Illustration

The publishers nominated in this category are: Renegade Arts Entertainment, and Frontenac House, for the following books: 

ABC Monstrosity

Shea Proulx (CA)

Published: Sep 16, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903880
A Brush With Depth: The Art of Rick Sealock

Rick Sealock (CA)

Published: Nov 15, 2020 by Frontenac House Ltd.
ISBN: 9781927823699
Plausible Wrong Answers

Tyler B. Perry (CA)

Published: Nov 15, 2020 by Frontenac House Ltd.
ISBN: 9781989466131

Lois Hole Award for Editorial Excellence

To be announced at the 2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards

Special Achievement in Publishing Awards

To be announced at the 2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards