2014 Vancouver Book Award Finalists

Five books that reflect Vancouver’s unique character, culture and history have been selected as finalists for the 2014 City of Vancouver Book Award.

The Award will be presented at the Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre on October 7, 2014. The winning author will receive a cash prize of $3,000.

The books on this year’s shortlist cover a range of genres: fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and biography. Each book offers an original perspective on Vancouver’s diversity.

List of finalists

The 2014 Vancouver Book Award finalists are:

• Bruce Grierson for What makes Olga Run? (Random House)
• Doretta Lau for How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun? (Nightwood Editions)
• Ashley Little for Anatomy of a Girl Gang (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• Billeh Nickerson for Artificial Cherry (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• David Stouk for Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life (Douglas & McIntyre)

Book Award jury

The five shortlisted titles were chosen by an independent jury that included: Elee Kraljii Gardiner, an award-winning poet and director of Thursdays Writing Collective; Anna Ling Kaye, editor of Ricepaper magazine; and Jordan Abel, editor for Poetry Is Dead magazine and the former poetry editor for PRISMinternational.

Alma Lee, founder and former artistic director of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival, served as chair.