Winners for 22nd annual Trillium Book Award announced

    TORONTO, June 16 /CNW/ -

    NEWS

    Winners of Ontario's foremost prize for literary excellence, the Trillium
Book Award/Prix Trillium, were announced today by the Hon. Aileen Carroll,
Ontario Minister of Culture, and Kevin Shea, Chair of the Ontario Media
Development Corporation at a luncheon held at the Park Hyatt.

    
    -   This year's winner for the Trillium Book Award in English-language
        is:
        Pasha Malla, The Withdrawal Method (House of Anansi Press)
        (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5460.aspx)

    -   The winner for the Trillium Book Award in French-language is:
        Marguerite Andersen, Le figuier sur le toit (Les Editions
        L'Interligne) (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5473.aspx)

    -   This year's English-language for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry
        is:
        Jeramy Dodds, Crabwise to the Hounds (Coach House Books)
        (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5467.aspx)

    -   The winner for the Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature in
        French-language is:
        Paul Prud'Homme, Les Rebuts : Hockey 2 (Les Editions du Vermillon)
        (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5480.aspx)
    

    QUOTES

    "The Trillium Book Awards is a treasured literary tradition that
celebrates Ontario's authors, the publishing industry that nurtures them, and
the substantial contribution they make to our society and economy."
    - Ontario Culture Minister Aileen Carroll

    "The winners of the 22nd Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium continue to
dazzle us with their talent. We are delighted to welcome new and established
authors to this prestigious group, and we congratulate all the authors and
their publishers for continuing to enrich the lives of readers at home and
abroad."
    - Kevin Shea, Chair, Ontario Media Development Corporation

    QUICK FACTS

    
    -   Celebrating its 22nd Anniversary this year, the Trillium Book Award
        is among the most highly regarded national and international literary
        prizes. Previous winners have included world-renowned authors such as
        Margaret Atwood, Wayson Choy, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, Maurice
        Henri and Michèle Matteau.

    -   Trillium Book Award English-language and French-language winners
        receive $20,000. Publishers of the winning books each receive $2,500
        towards their promotional costs. The respective winners of the
        Trillium Book Award for Poetry in English language and Trillium Book
        Award for Children's Literature in French language each receive
        $10,000 and their publishers receive $2,000. All finalists receive a
        $500 honorarium.

    -   The Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature in French language
        is awarded in alternating years with the Trillium Book Award for
        Poetry in French language. The Trillium Book Award for Poetry in
        English language recognizes literary achievement for a first, second
        or third published work of poetry.

    LEARN MORE

    The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award
(http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page3217.aspx) in 1987 to recognize excellence, support
marketing and foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity
of Ontario writers and writing.

    Ontario Media Development Corporation
(http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page3283.aspx) administers the Trillium Book Awards on
behalf of the Ministry of Culture
(http://www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/index.html).

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                                                                BACKGROUNDER
                                       Ontario Media Development Corporation
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                       22nd ANNUAL TRILLIUM BOOK AWARD

                                                               June 16, 2009
    

    TRILLIUM BOOK AWARD/PRIX TRILLIUM (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page3217.aspx)

    The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award in 1987 to
recognize the literary excellence and diversity of Ontario writers and
writing. This prestigious Award is unusual because it allows entries from all
genres. Over the years it has grown in stature. Today it is considered the
province's foremost award for literature.

    
    ENGLISH LANGUAGE JURY (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5487.aspx)

    -   Steven Beattie is the Review Editor at Quill & Quire.

    -   Emily Schultz is an award-winning writer and editor living in
        Toronto.

    -   Meg Taylor has worked for several years in both trade and scholarly
        publishing, including as a freelance editor for Harvard University
        Press, and senior editor at both Doubleday Canada and Key Porter
        books.

    FRENCH LANGUAGE JURY (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5487.aspx)

    -   Daniel Castillo Durante is a full professor in the Department of
        French at the University of Ottawa.

    -   Mylaine Demers began a career as a teacher in Eastern Ontario after
        completing a Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in French and a
        Bachelor of Education.

    -   Paul Savoie is one of Canada's most prolific writers, writing in both
        French and English.

    PUBLISHERS OF TRILLIUM BOOK AWARD WINNERS
    (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page5485.aspx)

    -   Coach House Books has been publishing and printing high-quality
        innovative fiction and poetry since 1965. (Publisher for Crabwise to
        the Hounds by Jeramy Dodds)

    -   House of Anansi Press specializes in finding and developing Canada's
        new writers of literary fiction, poetry and nonfiction and in
        maintaining a culturally significant backlist that has accumulated
        since the house was founded 40 years ago. (Publisher for The
        Withdrawal Method by Pasha Malla)

    -   Les Editions L'Interligne was founded in Ottawa in 1981. Initially it
        focused on publishing history books and books on Franco-Ontarian
        heritage. (Publisher for Le figuier sur le toit by Marguerite
        Andersen)

    -   Les Editions du Vermillon was created in 1982 and publishes sixteen
        different collections, in addition to other works, and currently has
        over 300 titles in its catalogue. (Publisher for Les Rebuts: Hockey 2
        by Paul Prud'Homme)

    ONTARIO MEDIA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (OMDC)
    (http://www.omdc.on.ca/Page3137.aspx)

    Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) provides a wide range of
programs and services to stimulate the growth of the province's entertainment
industry including book and magazine publishing, film and television, music
and interactive digital media industries.

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For further information:

For further information: Contact Trillium Book Award Finalists:
Charmaine Khan, Trillium Publicist, MediaProfile, (416) 504-8464, cell. (416)
277-0450, E-mail: Charmaine@MediaProfile.com; For French Media Relations: Dane
Gergovich, French Trillium Publicist, MediaProfile, (416) 504-8464, cell:
(647) 929-8464, E-mail: daneg@MediaProfile.com; Contact for OMDC: Sharon
Wilson, OMDC Communications, T. (416) 642-6616, E-mail: swilson@omdc.on.ca;
Contact for Minister Carroll: Sarah Petrevan, Minister's Office, (416)
325-1676; Lisa Robart, Communications Branch, (416) 212-3928