Non-fiction prize posts last long list

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This article was published 14/12/2019 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A longtime fixture in Canada’s literary world, the RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction will take its final bow in 2020 and is going out with a list of nominated books covering history, politics, memoir, science, current events and more.

Among the 12 titles announced on a long list this month were Mark Bourrie’s Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson; Robyn Doolittle’s Had It Coming: What’s Fair in the Age of #MeToo; and Timothy Winegard’s The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator.

The award will be bestowed March 2. Details on the full long list are available at wfp.to/taylorprize.

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Manitoba poet and novelist Lauren Carter (This Has Nothing To Do With You) is teaming up with yoga instructor and trainer Kerry Mealey-Holmes to offer a daylong workshop in January combining creative writing and restorative yoga.

The Jan. 11 New Year Yoga and Deep Writing Retreat will combine an accessible-for-all approach to yoga with writing exercises to help beginning and stalled writers find inspiring pathways into their stories.

The retreat runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Retreat & Conference Centre at 225 Masters Ave. in West St. Paul, a few minutes past the Perimeter highway off Main Street. The ticket cost is $160 and includes supplied yoga equipment, a notebook and pen and a homemade lunch(dietary accommodations available) for an intimate group of eight.

The duo behind the workshop call their new business Nourishing Roots Retreats and hope to help participants “connect with their deepest stories and feed their creative souls while taking care of their bodies in beautiful Manitoba locations.”

To reserve a spot or find out more, visit nourishingrootsretreats.com.

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The small world of Canadian fantasy and comics publishing was rocked by two scandals this fall, both with Winnipeg connections.

Accusations of late and non-payment of royalties swirled around Toronto-based fantasy and horror publisher ChiZine, leading to publishers Sandra Kasturi and Brett Savory stepping down and a temporary publisher taking the helm in order to straighten out company finances. The scandal began with one of the company’s authors, Ed Kurtz, publicly complaining he hadn’t been paid for his work.

It grew when other authors took to social media to accuse the publisher of bullying and abuse, as well as non-payment. Winnipegger Samantha Beiko wrote a long post about the pressure she felt working for the company as an editor, designer and eventually co-publisher, often for little or no money.

Following the ChiZine eruption, a smaller Winnipeg-based comics publisher shut down virtually overnight, leaving several authors looking for new homes for their projects.

Bedside Press announced its closure shortly after founder Hope Nicholson confessed to inappropriate conduct towards a comic-book creator during a recent convention.

Authors of several projects slated for publication by Bedside Press are now looking elsewhere, including Beiko, for her anthology Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures. Other projects needing new homes include Ryan Harby’s Awkward Pause: A Collection of Honey Dill Comics and Amanda Deibert’s graphic novel Works For a Million.

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Manitoba high school students could have a book published and win $3,000 through a competition organized by B’nai Brith Canada.

The Diverse Minds Creative Writing Competition is intended to promote tolerance, inclusion and a greater understanding of different cultures, lifestyles and beliefs. High school students are invited to reflect on these values and write and illustrate a book for elementary school students.

The winning book will be professionally published as a hardcover, full-colour book and distributed to all elementary schools and public libraries in the province.

The winner will also receive a $3,000 cash award and the author’s school and supervising teacher will each receive $500. The second- and third- place books will win $1,500 and $500 respectively.

The deadline to submit entries is March 9, 2020. Ten finalists, their families and teachers will be invited to an award ceremony in June.

Details are available at bnaibrith.ca/diverseminds.

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