City announces finalists for 2010 Vancouver Book Award

Four finalists have been short-listed for the 2010 City of Vancouver Book Award:

*       George Bowering for The Box (New Star Books). A tour through the glory days of the 1960s in Vancouver led by Canada's first Poet Laureate. In a series of ten stories introduced by archival photographs, the book breaks with the conventional short story genre by weaving together biography, autobiography, parable and drama.

*       Bruce Grenville and Scott Steedman for Visions of British Columbia (Douglas and McIntyre). Drawing primarily from the collections of the Vancouver Art Gallery, images by notable visual artists are
matched with texts from acclaimed Vancouver and B.C writers. They speak to the diverse visions of this place, its peoples and its histories.

*       Matt Hern for Common Ground in a Liquid City (AK Press). The importance of place in the urban future is explored in this series of essays and images that uses Vancouver as a foil in a global search for
what makes cities livable.

*       Chris MacDonald for A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Vancouver (Douglas and McIntyre). This easy to use pocket guidebook features Vancouver's most interesting and innovative buildings. Through full-colour photographs, architects' drawings and critical essays, the book highlights a period of unprecedented growth in Vancouver, beginning with Expo '86 and continuing through the 2010 Winter Games.

Finalists were chosen by an independent jury comprised of former librarian Janice Douglas, poet Fred Wah, and Jean Wilson, formerly with UBC Press. To be eligible for the award, books must demonstrate
excellence and enhance readers' understanding of Vancouver's rich history and culture.

Mayor Gregor Robertson will present the 2010 City of Vancouver Book Award and a $2,000 cash prize to the winning author on October 19, 2010 in Council.