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BC Book Prizes 2008
Somebody's gotta say it. the laudatory sophistication level of the BC Book Prizes' organization is being consistently sabotaged by lame acceptance speeches.
One of the worst speeches in 24 years was made by Egoff Prize winner Polly Horvath who spent less than a minute on stage, making a trite joke about successfully bribing the judges, before walking off with her cheque.
Livesay Poetry Prize winner Rita Wong went the esoteric route, advising everyone, "The spirit of water is what makes everything possible.";
High-minded Robert Bringhurst didn't deign to show up to receive his Evans Non-Fiction Prize, we were told, because he "hates"; such ceremonies. This hatred didn't stop him from accepting the second Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence from the Book Prizes in 2005.
A book about the trend towards "eating locally"; was judged the best book about British Columbia, but its authors J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith also didn't show. No explanation was given when a representative from Ontario's Random House spoke for 20 seconds to accept their Haig-Brown Prize. Perhaps the champions of localism were away.
By contrast, Ian McAllister and his wife Karen arrived from their home on Denny Island, flying down from Bella Bella, leaving the kids overnight in Campbell River, just on the chance he might receive the Booksellers' Choice Award for The Last Wild Wolves. He did-along with its publisher Rob Sanders. "I hope this book gives a little back to the coast that we are trying to preserve,"; said McAllister.
This year's Lieutenant Governor's Award winner Gary Geddes did his best by quoting a Chilean activist who told him that in his country, "Your book may survive [in Chile] but you may not,"; followed by Margaret Atwood's quip, "You can say what you want [in Canada] because nobody is listening."; Alone among the recipients, Geddes had the good manners to conclude, "I am deeply moved by this gesture of belief in my work.";
When the literary tribe gathers annually to break bread, you'd think more than one person would overtly express appreciation-or acknowledge collectivity.
The evening's only animated speech was delivered by kidlit writer Robert Heidbreder who delivered a stand-up comedy routine about his mother while accepting the Harris Prize for best illustrated book. His illustrator Kady MacDonald Denton was home in Peterborough.
Meanwhile the hard-working organizers, Liesl Jauk and Bryan Pike, have done a terrific job spreading the Book Prizes beyond a ballroom. Their company Rebus Creative coordinated 17 finalists on tours and sponsored 64 events in 27 communities in two weeks. In addition, $12,000 worth of nominated titles was donated to 24 B.C. schools.
The ascendancy of the Lieutenant Governor at the annual Book Prizes bun toss can be problematic for any British Columbians who don't believe in kings and queens and hereditary power, but Rt. Hon. Steven Point was the only person with the gumption to use the podium to make a political statement. Pleased to hear Book Prize Society president Sally Harding acknowledge that downtown Vancouver is in Coast Salish territory, the First Nations L.G. joked, "We are just having difficulties collecting the taxes."; Then he paused. "Don't tell the premier I said that.";
[BCBW 2008]
One of the worst speeches in 24 years was made by Egoff Prize winner Polly Horvath who spent less than a minute on stage, making a trite joke about successfully bribing the judges, before walking off with her cheque.
Livesay Poetry Prize winner Rita Wong went the esoteric route, advising everyone, "The spirit of water is what makes everything possible.";
High-minded Robert Bringhurst didn't deign to show up to receive his Evans Non-Fiction Prize, we were told, because he "hates"; such ceremonies. This hatred didn't stop him from accepting the second Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence from the Book Prizes in 2005.
A book about the trend towards "eating locally"; was judged the best book about British Columbia, but its authors J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith also didn't show. No explanation was given when a representative from Ontario's Random House spoke for 20 seconds to accept their Haig-Brown Prize. Perhaps the champions of localism were away.
By contrast, Ian McAllister and his wife Karen arrived from their home on Denny Island, flying down from Bella Bella, leaving the kids overnight in Campbell River, just on the chance he might receive the Booksellers' Choice Award for The Last Wild Wolves. He did-along with its publisher Rob Sanders. "I hope this book gives a little back to the coast that we are trying to preserve,"; said McAllister.
This year's Lieutenant Governor's Award winner Gary Geddes did his best by quoting a Chilean activist who told him that in his country, "Your book may survive [in Chile] but you may not,"; followed by Margaret Atwood's quip, "You can say what you want [in Canada] because nobody is listening."; Alone among the recipients, Geddes had the good manners to conclude, "I am deeply moved by this gesture of belief in my work.";
When the literary tribe gathers annually to break bread, you'd think more than one person would overtly express appreciation-or acknowledge collectivity.
The evening's only animated speech was delivered by kidlit writer Robert Heidbreder who delivered a stand-up comedy routine about his mother while accepting the Harris Prize for best illustrated book. His illustrator Kady MacDonald Denton was home in Peterborough.
Meanwhile the hard-working organizers, Liesl Jauk and Bryan Pike, have done a terrific job spreading the Book Prizes beyond a ballroom. Their company Rebus Creative coordinated 17 finalists on tours and sponsored 64 events in 27 communities in two weeks. In addition, $12,000 worth of nominated titles was donated to 24 B.C. schools.
The ascendancy of the Lieutenant Governor at the annual Book Prizes bun toss can be problematic for any British Columbians who don't believe in kings and queens and hereditary power, but Rt. Hon. Steven Point was the only person with the gumption to use the podium to make a political statement. Pleased to hear Book Prize Society president Sally Harding acknowledge that downtown Vancouver is in Coast Salish territory, the First Nations L.G. joked, "We are just having difficulties collecting the taxes."; Then he paused. "Don't tell the premier I said that.";
[BCBW 2008]
Submitted on June 3, 2008 in By David.
