Julia Elliott wins lucrative Shields prize
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South Carolina author Julia Elliott has nabbed US$150,000 (over $208,000) and the 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her short-story collection Hellions, published in 2025 by Tin House Books.
The prize, named after the former Winnipeg author, celebrates a work of fiction by a woman or non-binary author in Canada and the U.S. In addition to the remuneration, Elliott will spend five nights at Fogo Island Inn. The other four finalists — Megha Majumdar, Lee Lai, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Sonya Walger – each took home US$12,500 (around $17,000).
The Association for Manitoba Archives has announced the winners of the 2026 Manitoba Day Awards, which recognizes work that uses or highlights the province’s archival resources.
On the book front, Kevin Nikkel’s Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival (published by University of Manitoba Press) won in the popular works category, while Robert E. Hawkins won the scholarly works category for She Won the Vote for Women: The Life and Times of Lillian Beynon Thomas (published by Great Plains Press).
Winnipeg Architecture Foundation founder and author Gail Perry offers an illustrated talk about the life and work of John D. Atchison at McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park location tonight at 7 p.m.
Perry’s new book John D. Atchison Architect: His Works & Times dives into the Illinois-born early 20th-century architect’s time in the city; between 1905-23 he was pivotal in developing the Chicago style of architecture seen downtown and in the Exchange District, also designing some of the Winnipeg’s most cherished historic homes.
Fifteen years after writing The Night Shift: Real Life in the Heart of the E.R., Dr. Brian Goldman is back with an account of what the medical landscape is like today.
The bestselling author, ER doctor and host of CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art is back with The Casino Shift: Stories from an ER on the Edge. Published in February, he goes hour by hour through a shorter overnight shifts (the “casino shifts” of the book’s title), detailing the types of situations faced by ER doctors and patients.
Goldman launches The Casino Shift on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location, where he’ll be joined in conversation by Winnipeg doctor, educator and bestselling author Dr. Jillian Horton (We Are All Perfectly Fine). The event is co-presented by the Alan Klass Program in Health Humanities at the Univerity of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
Vancouver horror writer and animator Marcus Kliewer will be looking to give his Winnipeg audience a fright on Wednesday, when he launches his new book The Caretaker at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location at 7 p.m.
Kliewer’s first novel We Used to Live Here debuted as a serialized story on Reddit before he expanded it to book length; the rights for the book were snapped up by Netflix.
His latest follows a woman who lands a caretaking job at a remote house in Oregon, where the family undertakes a series of creepy rituals based on the late patriarch’s wishes.
For the launch of The Caretaker, Kliewer will be joined by Winnipeg author Joanna Graham.
Longtime Winnipeg author Dora Dueck, now based in Delta, B.C., comes home on Thursday to launch her new book Like a River Divides the Earth at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location at 7 p.m.
Dueck’s five stories explore tensions within families, the dynamics of Mennonite communities and more. For the launch, she’ll be joined by Winnipeg author, educator and CMU Press director Sue Sorensen.
Former Gimli resident Kathleen Arnason, who now lives in Victoria, returns to the province this weekend a part of her Western Canadian tour promoting her Gimli Huldofolk trilogy of books.
Arnason will be at the Indigo at Kenaston Common (1500 Kenaston Blvd.) today from noon-4 p.m., and will be in Gimli tomorrow from noon-4 p.m. at the Gimli Municipal Building (old schoolhouse, 62 Second Ave.) for a reading at the Huldofolk picnic which features food, games and more.
winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson
Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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