THE B.C. BOOK PRIZE FOR POETRY HAS been named in honour of Dorothy 'Dee' Livesay. 'The prize was unnamed for two years while volunteer committees deliberated on an appropriate choice. Shari Hocking from Great Pacific News made the announcement of the B.C. Book Prizes' final decision at the Western Book Reps Trade Fair, Feb. 13, at Robson Square. Born in Winnipeg in 1910, Livesay came to Vancouver in 1936, where she befriended editor Alan Crawley and Earle Birney. She soon became a seminal figure in the rise of Canadian poetry, winning Governor-General's Awards in 1944 and 1947. In her mature years Livesay has expanded her writing concerns beyond her initial proletarian focus. The fifth annual B.C. Book Prizes ceremonies will be held at the Hotel Vancouver on May 13. At stake are $1,000 awards for the new Livesay Poetry Prize, the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize (best book about B.C.), the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize, the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Book Prize, the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice (for superior publishing achievement) and a new prize for outstanding media coverage of B.C. books.

[Spring / BCBW 1989]