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October 1, 2008
2008 City of Vancouver Book Award Finalists
Four historically-themed titles have been selected as finalists for the 2008 City of Vancouver Book Award: a collection of real life stories that bring to life the social histories of selected heritage homes in Vancouver; a biography of dance-artist Peter Bingham, a driving force in Canada’s contact improvisation scene for 30 years; a poetic portrait of the many lives affected by the Second Narrows Bridge disaster of 1958; and a book of stories and photographs documenting the lives of the residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
“These four books add significant textural layers to our understanding of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods, culture and individuals,” said Mayor Sam Sullivan. “My congratulations to the finalists and their publishers for their contributions to Vancouver’s cultural richness.”
The 2008 finalists are:
At Home With History: The Untold Secrets of Greater Vancouver’s Heritage Homes by Eve Lazarus (Anvil Press, Vancouver), is a social history and genealogy that reveals much about the history of the times and offers a sense of place in the ongoing narrative of selected heritage homes in Greater Vancouver.
Falsework by Gary Geddes (Goose Lane Editions, Fredericton, New Brunswick), is a multi-voiced, inquisitive new kind of poetry that provides portraits of the many lives affected by the crumbling of the Second Narrows Bridge in 1958, a seemingly indomitable structure.
Hope in Shadows by Brad Cran and Gillian Jerome (Arsenal Pulp Press and Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver), are photographs taken by the residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, accompanied by the personal stories of the men and women behind these stunning images.
The Man Next Door Dances: The Art of Peter Bingham by Kaija Pepper (Dance Collection Press, Toronto), is a meticulously researched insight into Peter Bingham’s contact improvisation and choreography along with photographs that take the reader inside the mind of a quiet, respectful but determined artist who has kept dancing through three turbulent decades of challenge and change.
The four shortlisted titles were chosen by an independent jury that included freelance editor (and former Publisher at Raincoast Books/Polestar) Michelle Benjamin; Sophia Books owner Marc Fournier; and Fernanda Viveiros, Executive Director of the Federation of BC Writers.This jury will also select the winning entry.
Mayor Sullivan will present the award and the $2,000 cash prize to the winning author on October 14, 2008. This year, the City of Vancouver Book Award celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Media contact:
Corporate Communications
604.871.6336
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