Congratulations to Katherena Vermette, Clayton Thomas-Muller, and Maureen Fergus, whose books have all been shortlisted for the 2022 Manitoba Book Awards! The Awards celebrate excellence in Manitoba writing, publishing, book design and illustration. There are more than a dozen different categories recognizing Manitoba books and writers.
THE STRANGERS by Katherena Vermette (Hamish Hamilton) has been nominated for the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction, and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award!
About THE STRANGERS:
From the bestselling author of The Break comes a staggering intergenerational saga that explores how connected we are, even when we’re no longer together—even when we’re forced apart. Cedar has nearly forgotten what her family looks like. Phoenix has nearly forgotten what freedom feels like. And Elsie has nearly given up hope. Nearly.
After time spent in foster homes, Cedar goes to live with her estranged father. Although she grapples with the pain of being separated from her mother, Elsie, and sister, Phoenix, she’s hoping for a new chapter in her life, only to find herself once again in a strange house surrounded by strangers. From a youth detention centre, Phoenix gives birth to a baby she’ll never get to raise and tries to forgive herself for all the harm she’s caused (while wondering if she even should). Elsie, struggling with addiction and determined to turn her life around, is buoyed by the idea of being reunited with her daughters and strives to be someone they can depend on, unlike her own distant mother. These are the Strangers, each haunted in her own way. Between flickering moments of warmth and support, the women diverge and reconnect, fighting to survive in a fractured system that pretends to offer success but expects them to fail. Facing the distinct blade of racism from those they trusted most, they urge one another to move through the darkness, all the while wondering if they’ll ever emerge safely on the other side.
Katherena Vermette (she/her/hers) is a Red River Métis (Michif) writer from Treaty 1 territory, the heart of the Métis Nation. She has worked in poetry, novels, children’s literature, and film. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, her father’s roots run deep in St. Boniface, St. Norbert and beyond, dating back over two centuries. Her mother’s side is Mennonite from the Altona and Rosenfeld area (Treaty 1).
Vermette received the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry for her first book, North End Love Songs (The Muses’ Company). The Break (House of Anansi) won several awards including the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and was a bestseller in Canada. Her National Film Board documentary, this river won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Short. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia. Road Allowance Era (HighWater Press) is the final installment of her graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo and is listed among CBC Books 21 Canadian comics to watch for in Spring 2021. The Strangers (Hamish Hamilton) is the follow up to her award winning debut novel, The Break and includes previous characters set in the same world.
LIFE IN THE CITY OF DIRTY WATER by Clayton Thomas-Muller (Allen Lane Canada) has been shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award!
About LIFE IN THE CITY OF DIRTY WATER:
An electrifying memoir that braids together the urgent issues of Indigenous rights and environmental policy, from a nationally and internationally recognized activist and survivor.
There have been many Clayton Thomas-Mullers: The child who played with toy planes as an escape from domestic and sexual abuse, enduring the intergenerational trauma of Canada’s residential school system; the angry youngster who defended himself with fists and sharp wit against racism and violence, at school and on the streets of Winnipeg and small-town British Columbia; the tough teenager who, at 17, managed a drug house run by members of his family, and slipped in and out of juvie, operating in a world of violence and pain.
But behind them all, there was another Clayton: the one who remained immersed in Cree spirituality, and who embraced the rituals and ways of thinking vital to his heritage; the one who reconnected with the land during summer visits to his great-grandparents’ trapline in his home territory of Pukatawagan in northern Manitoba.
And it’s this version of Clayton that ultimately triumphed, finding healing by directly facing the trauma that he shares with Indigenous peoples around the world. Now a leading organizer and activist on the frontlines of environmental resistance, Clayton brings his warrior spirit to the fight against the ongoing assault on Indigenous peoples’ lands by Big Oil.
Tying together personal stories of survival that bring the realities of the First Nations of this land into sharp focus, and lessons learned from a career as a frontline activist committed to addressing environmental injustice at a global scale, Thomas-Muller offers a narrative and vision of healing and responsibility.
Clayton Thomas-Muller is a member of the Treaty #6 based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. He is a campaigner for 350.org, a global movement that’s responding to the climate crisis. He has campaigned on behalf of Indigenous peoples around the world for more than 20 years, working with the Indigenous Environmental Network, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Global Justice Ecology Project, and Bioneers, among others. Clayton has led Indigenous delegations to lobby United Nations bodies, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Earth Summit (Johannesburg, 2002 and Rio+20, 2012) and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He has coordinated and led delegations of Indigenous peoples to lobby government in Washington, DC, Ottawa, and the European Union (Strasbourg and Brussels).
GLORY ON ICE: A VAMPIRE HOCKEY STORY by Maureen Fergus (Knopf Books for Young Readers) has been shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award!
About GLORY ON ICE: A VAMPIRE HOCKEY STORY:
After centuries alone in his old castle, Vlad is ready to try something new. When he hears the local hockey team gushing about how they’re going to crush and destroy their opponents this season, Vlad knows he’s found the activity for him! Vlad soon realizes that his awesome powers aren’t going to be much help in hockey since they don’t include the power to skate..
After weeks of practice, he’s finally ready for the big game. But can a centuries-old vampire really learn new tricks?
Maureen Fergus is an award-winning author of books for kids of all ages. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages, optioned for film and adapted for stage. When not writing, Maureen runs, reads, bikes, bakes, works and hangs out with her husband, three kids and Buddy the Wonder Dog, who likes meatloaf.
Katherena is represented by Marilyn Biderman; Clayton is represented by Carolyn Forde; and Maureen was represented by Fiona Kenshole.
To see a full list of awardees, please visit: https://manitobabookawards.ca/index.php/2022-2/shortlist-liste-de-preselection/