The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is pleased to announce the shortlist for the Al and Eurithe Purdy BC Award for Excellence, a new annual prize recognizing an outstanding book of fiction or non-fiction written by a British Columbia author and traditionally published by a BC-based publisher.

The finalists were chosen from nearly 40 eligible titles published in British Columbia in 2025 and include two books of non-fiction and one book of fiction written by authors from Victoria, Williams Lake and Nelson.

“We would like to emphasize the quality of the books being written and published in the province—the field of eligible titles was impressive,” remarked Marisa Alps, the Artistic and Executive Director of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. “The books that were eventually selected are firmly rooted in the history and landscape of BC and are not only rewarding to read, but bring awareness to issues of cultural importance to British Columbians. They also remind us how a beautifully and skillfully told story can create connection and understanding.”

The 2026 shortlisted authors are:

George M. Abbott — Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now (UBC Press)
As the current Chief Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission, George M. Abbott brings a rare insider’s perspective to Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now, chronicling more than 150 years of BC-Indigenous relations and the failure to resolve Aboriginal title.

Cecilia Dick DeRose, with Sage Birchwater — One Arrow Left: The Memoir of Secwépemc Knowledge Keeper Cecilia DeRose (Caitlin Press)
In One Arrow Left, Secwépemc elder, matriarch, and knowledge-keeper Cecilia DeRose (1935-2026) worked with writer Sage Birchwater to recount her journey from the meadows of the Cariboo through the trauma of residential school to receiving an honorary doctorate in recognition of her work in language and cultural preservation.

Sarah Louise Butler — Rufous and Calliope (Douglas & McIntyre)
Sarah Louise Butler takes readers deep into the rugged BC Interior in Rufous and Calliope, a powerful work of geographic fiction that features runaway children, treehouse hideaways, early-onset dementia and the persistence of hope amidst ecological grief.

Established through the generous support of Eurithe Purdy in memory of her late husband, acclaimed Canadian writer Al Purdy, the award recognizes books distinguished by literary excellence, dedication to craft, originality, and a strong connection to British Columbia’s cultural, historical, or literary landscape.

“It is an honour to be able to endow this new prize for BC writers,” said Eurithe Purdy. “I know from long experience how much effort writers put into sustaining our literary culture and how little recognition they normally receive. I hope this new prize will go some way to showing our appreciation.”

The award seal, which features a dogwood flower, was created expressly for the Al and Eurithe Purdy BC Award for Excellence by acclaimed artist Roy Henry Vickers. “A four-petal Pacific dogwood reminds me of the four directions of the sweat lodge and the four seasons,” explained Vickers. “… The eagle in the centre represents the sun and the moon, and the vision we have to see clearly what we can give to our community as teachers, healers, visionaries, and leaders.”

The three finalists—George Abbott, Sage Birchwater and Sarah Louise Butler—will be featured at the BC Books Showcase event moderated by Kathryn Gretsinger on Friday, August 14, at 2 pm during the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. The winner of the $5,000 prize will be announced on August 13 at the Festival’s opening reception.

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The lunch boxes will be available, by pre-order only, for pick up at the Festival site on Friday Aug. 14, Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16. between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Lunch boxes can be claimed at the lunch table near the Book Tent. The pre-order period will close 48 hours before the delivery period each day. 

There are five lunch options, priced at $30.00 each (includes tax and delivery). 

• Crispy Chicken Club Wrap with tortellini pasta salad and chocolate chip cookie 
• Gluten-free Chicken Club Wrap with Greek quinoa salad and peanut butter granola bar (GF) 
• Vegetarian Falafel Wrap with tortellini pasta salad and chocolate chip cookie (vegetarian) 
• Vegan Falafel Wrap with Greek quinoa salad and peanut butter granola bar (GF, vegan) 
• Roast Beef & Cheddar Baguette with tortellini pasta salad and chocolate chip cookie

If sandwiches aren’t your style, there are also delicious charcuterie boxes offered for $24.00 (includes tax and delivery) that contain imported cheeses, salami, prosciutto, olives, and crackers. The charcuterie box is gluten-free.

Please note: The purchasing platform, Zeffy, is 100% free for the Festival of the Written Arts as we are a registered charity. To make up for this, Zeffy asks for donations to their platform from the purchaser. If you do not want to donate to Zeffy, please select “other amount” at checkout and set to 0%. Thank you for your understanding. 

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The authors hail from as far away as New Brunswick and Ontario, and as close as Gibsons. Local author and editor Kallie George is offering a writing presentation to intermediate students and will talk about her book series Wings of Olympus.

Other authors Zooming into schools during Family Literacy Week are Andrea Fritz, Natalie Hyde, Valerie Sherrard, Jack Wong and Karina Zhou, all of whom will inspire students and share information about their writing process and themes.

Canadian authors have visited School District 46 classrooms, both in-person and virtually, every year since 2007.

The literacy programming is organized by Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC), a joint initiative of SD 46 and the Festival of the Written Arts that was formed to support literacy on the Sunshine Coast by bringing authors in to talk about books and encourage students to express themselves through both the written and spoken word.

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The exceptional way Bev organized and ran the festival book tent (along with her dedicated and friendly staff) was one of the reasons why people loved to return to the Festival of the Written Arts year after year. And one of our great pleasures—when any of us had a spare minute—was sitting down with Bev, enjoying her sense of humour, and talking books!

All of us at the SCFWA will remember Bev’s generosity, her intelligence and her devotion to authors and the written word. Her life’s work in the book industry made a significant impact, not only on the Sunshine Coast, but on the greater literary community in Canada. We feel blessed and full of gratitude that Bev was a steadfast supporter and an integral part of our festival for more than thirty years.

We send our heartfelt condolences to Bev’s family, her many friends and the staff at Talewind Books. We will miss you, Bev. You will always be a part of our festival family.

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Join the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts for a special event with Mark L. Winston, acclaimed writing instructor and award-winning author. Mark will share his insights and expertise in a day-long nonfiction writing workshop, “Personalizing the Impersonal.”

About the workshop

At its core, nonfiction writing is about telling a true story that entertains and informs. It is about personal experience, real people and events told in a compelling and creative way. 

This workshop will explore how to bring deeper reflections into your writing, engaging your audiences through story and personal anecdote linked to broad issues of public interest. We’ll work on brevity, clarity and focus. You’ll gain confidence in using your unique voice and style with greater proficiency through clear thinking, succinctness, simplicity and bringing key messages front and centre.  You’ll work on whatever writing is on your plate at the moment, with possible outlets including newspapers, magazines, books, blogs, press releases, websites, pitches or whatever is currently occupying your writing space.

The workshop will be interactive and participatory, using writing exercises, intensive group feedback, editing and revisions. Be prepared to write; bring whatever you like to write in or on.

Details

• Date: April 29, 2023
• Time: 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
• Location: Rockwood Lodge Art Space, Sechelt, BC (5511 Shorncliffe Avenue)
• Cost: $85.00 per registration (includes GST)
• Registration: Please phone 604-885-9631 or email marisa(at)writersfestival.ca
• Other details: Bring your preferred writing materials and lunch. Snacks will be provided.

NEW! Register online, via Showpass! (Please note: Showpass charges an additional $3.82 in processing fees). If you register directly through the festival by email or phone the fee remains $85.00.

About Mark L. Winston

Mark L. Winston (www.winstonhive.com) is the recipient of the 2015 Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction for his book Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive. One of the world’s leading experts on bees and pollination, Dr. Winston is also an internationally recognized researcher, teacher and writer. He directed Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue for 12 years, where he founded the Centre’s Semester in Dialogue, a program that creates leadership development opportunities that equip and empower students to contribute to social change in communities. He’s appeared three times at the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts since 1996, with his books Nature Wars, Bee Time, and Listening to the Bees, the last book co-written with poet Renée Sarojini Saklikar.

He currently is Professor Emeritus and Senior Fellow in Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue.

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We are looking for budding authors of all ages—from kindergarten to grade 12 students. The thirteenth edition of Coastal Voices, an adjudicated anthology of student writing, will be published in June, and the deadline for submissions is March 10, 2023.

Coastal Voices is published annually by Celebration of Authors, Books and Community (CABC), a joint initiative of School District 46—Sunshine Coast and the Festival of the Written Arts. In previous years, the anthology has garnered anywhere from 700-900 submissions from students in schools up and down the coast. Volunteer adjudicators receive copies of the submissions and make difficult decisions about what to publish in the anthology, which usually includes around 150 pieces of writing.

John Lussier, one of the visionaries behind Coastal Voices and the President of the Festival of the Written Arts, says it is “great to see how this initiative has been embraced by teachers and students since it started in 2010. Reading the voices of these young writers and what matters to them is truly inspiring.”

Kirsten Deasey, District Principal at School District 46, also shares why the anthology is important: “it provides a rare opportunity for the voices of youth to be made visible and celebrated. Their words provide a window into their worlds.”

For twelve years, Edmund Arceo—publisher of Zoom magazine—has donated his expertise to ensure that Coastal Voices is a beautiful and professionally designed volume that honours the young writers and their work. You have our thanks, Edmund!

Students are invited to submit up to three pieces of poetry, short stories, personal narrative or essays. Maximum length is 500 words per submission. For more information about Coastal Voices, students can talk to their teachers, or email John Lussier at jlussier(at)sd46.bc.ca.

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