At Westwood Creative Artists we are pleased to congratulate three of our talented authors on being shortlisted for the 2016 Governor General Award. Kamal Al-Solaylee’s Brown, an examination of the many social, political, economic and personal implications of being a brown-skinned person in the world now, has been nominated in the non-fiction category. Also nominated for non-fiction is Marc Raboy’s Marconi, a biographical account of  the father of wireless communication. Nominated in the category of Poetry is Rachel Rose’s Marry & Burn, a searing collection of poems on loss, love and addition.   

The Canada Council for the Arts, administers and funds the Governor General Awards, which promote Canadian literature and invites people of all ages and background to read great books. Celebrating it’s 80th year, the GG Awards have expanding to include seven categories, in both French and English.

Wonderful news for Ian Brown, whose memoir Sixty was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Author of the multiple award-winning book The Boy in the Moon, Brown documents and examines what sixty means psychically, intellectually, and psychologically.

Finalists were selected by a three-member jury composed of author and journalist Carolyn Abraham, journalism professor and author Stephen Kimber, and nonfiction writer and folklorist Emily Urquhart. In total, 95 titles were submitted by 50 publishers for consideration for the 2016 prize.

The Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction is awarded for literary excellence in the category of nonfiction. Finalist works will, in the opinion of the jury, demonstrate a distinctive voice, as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and technique. This award succeeds the Writers’ Trust Nonfiction Prize, which was established in 1997.

We are thrilled to see two exceptional authors on the Ottawa Book Awards shortlist, bestselling author Roy MacGregor in the category of Non-Fiction and Giller Prize winner Elizabeth Hay in the category of Fiction. MacGregor’s Canoe Country, published by Vintage Canada, chronicles the relationship between a country and its canoes. And from Elizabeth Hay His Whole Life, published by Emblem Editions, tells a captivating coming-of-age story set in mid 1990s Quebec.

For over 30 years, the Ottawa Book Awards / Le Prix du livre d’Ottawa have paid tribute to Ottawa’s outstanding writers by shining the spotlight on the top English and French books published in the previous year.

Westwood Creative Artists is pleased to congratulate Yann Martel, winner of the 2016 Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence for his body of work. Martel is the author of Life of Pi, the global bestseller and winner of the Man Booker. His most recent work, The High Mountains of Portugal, a New York Times bestseller, has sold in over 25 territories.

The Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence recognizes Saskatchewan writers who have written a substantial body of literary work and had a significant impact on writing in Saskatchewan. The prize consists of an award of $10,000 donated by Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg and a framed print of a work of art by Saskatchewan artist Dorothy Knowles.

Westwood Creative Artists, Canada’s largest literary agency representing more than 400 writers, is looking for a candidate to fill a full-time 12 week internship position, beginning Monday January 30^th and ending Friday April 21^st.

A considerable amount of time during this internship will be spent working with WCA’s  international rights director and rights assistant in preparation for the London Book Fair in March. There will also be the opportunity to work with other WCA agents and at the reception desk. In the rights department, the intern will be involved in catalogue proofreading, general preparation and follow-up for the London Book Fair. There will also be some data entry and other administrative tasks. While working with individual agents, the intern will understand how the agent manages his or her authors, learn about Canadian and US submissions, and provide needed support in a varied number of capacities. At the reception desk, the intern will really be at the “nerve centre” of the agency. Tasks will include daily administration work, reading submissions, and receiving authors and publishers as they arrive at the agency.

We offer a competitive honorarium of $1500, a lively and congenial work environment at Spadina and Harbord, and an excellent opportunity to gain an overview of the publishing industry in Canada and abroad through the lens of the literary agent and the writers we represent.

The ideal candidate will be eager to learn, highly organized, energetic, and have a positive outlook. Strong proofreading and computer skills required; previous office experience and knowledge of the publishing industry an asset; passionate attention to detail and accuracy a must. Please send your cover letter, resume, and references to the attention of Carolyn Forde at Carolyn@wcaltd.com at your earliest convenience or by December 12^th. We appreciate all applications but will only reply to candidates selected for an interview.