Thursday, April 04, 2019

Not much history on the Cohen Shortlist for Political Writing


The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing ($25,000, administered by the Writers' Trust, honours each year "a book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life."  In recent years jurors have taken an "everything is political" view of what constitutes a "political subject." This year's shortlist is no exception, with a book about masculinity, a refugee memoir, and three books about current environmental politics.  The nominees as reported in the Globe and Mail, are:
Rachel Giese, Boys: What It Means to Become a Man, (Patrick Crean Editions)
Abu Bakr al Rabeeah,  Homes: A Refugee Story (Freehand Books),
Jacques Poitras Pipe Dreams: The Fight for Canada’s Energy Future (Viking Canada)
Sarah Cox Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand against Big Hydro (On Point Press)
Harley Rustad, Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees (House of Anansi Press)
Winner announced May 15.
 
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