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City of Victoria names nominees for annual book prize

Several notables from the Victoria writing community — including Steven Price, Lorna Crozier, and Carla Funk — scored nominations for the 2020 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize on Wednesday.
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Poet Lorna Crozier is a finalist for the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize.

Several notables from the Victoria writing community — including Steven Price, Lorna Crozier, and Carla Funk — scored nominations for the 2020 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize on Wednesday.

The prize, now in its 17th year, awards $5,000 to a Greater Victoria author for the best book published in the preceding year in fiction, non-fiction or poetry categories.

Finalists this year are Lorna Crozier (poetry) for The House the Spirit Builds; Carla Funk (non-fiction) for Every Little Scrap and Wonder: A Small-Town Childhood; Christin Geall (non-fiction) for Cultivated: The Elements of Floral Style; Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson (non-fiction) for Picking Up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket; and Steven Price (fiction) for Lampedusa.

Nominees for the City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize, now in its 13th year, were also announced Wednesday.

The $5,000 prize is awarded to a Greater Victoria author or illustrator for the best children’s book published in the preceding year. Finalists are Sara Cassidy for Nevers; Mark Leiren-Young for Orcas Everywhere: The Mystery and History of Killer Whales; and Sylvia Olsen and Odelia Smith for Neekah’s Knitting Needles.

This year’s winners will be announced at Oct. 4 during a free online event hosted by CBC’s Gregor Craigie during the Victoria Festival of Authors. Tickets for the event are free but must be reserved in advance. For more information, visit victoriabookprizes.ca.