Several Northern authors are now the proud recipients of the Northwords Book Award for books published in 2021.
The two annual book awards recognize the best the Northwest Territories has to offer. Established in 2010 with the support of the Yellowknife Book Cellar, the NorthWords Book Award recognizes an outstanding book, set in the North and published by an NWT author in the previous year. In 2017, the NorthWords Youth Book Award was created to recognize outstanding youth literature. Winners are selected by an independent jury and are awarded a $1,000 prize.
This year’s judges were Grace Guy, Brittany Herriot and Myranda Bolstad.
For the Youth Category, the award went to King Warrior, written by Jay Bulckaert and Erika Nyyssonen, illustrated by Lucas Green, and published by Renegade Arts Entertainment.
“Living in different worlds and separated by an ocean, a father and son try to stay connected through the power of imagination as their distanced lives pull them further apart.”
King Warrior is described as a novel that celebrates the turbulent glory of childhood while encouraging the reader to reconnect with that rich inner palace of youthful imagination that ultimately holds the key to our freedom.
In the Adult category, the award has gone to Gather: Richard Van Camp on the Joy of Storytelling, written by Richard Van camp, and published by University of Regina Press.
Written during a time of heightened isolation, bestselling author Richard Van Camp shares what he knows about the power of storytelling—and offers some of his own favourite stories from Elders, friends, and family.
For more information on how to become eligible for the Northwords Book Award, click here.
