Strong Aboriginal representation in Saskatchewan Book Awards

Aboriginal writers and
Aboriginal topics are well-represented in this year’s list of Saskatchewan Book
Awards nominees. Lisa Bird-Wilson leads the way with five nominations for her
first fiction book Just Pretending: Book of the Year, the Fiction Award,
Saskatoon Book Award, Aboriginal Peoples’ Writing Award and Aboriginal Peoples’
Publishing Award.  Métis Soldiers
of Saskatchewan: 1914-1953 by Cathy Littlejohn is also nominated for Book of
the Year, Aboriginal Peoples’ Publishing Award, and Award for Publishing in
Education. Marie Battiste’s Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning
Spirit is nominated in the Aboriginal Peoples’ Writing Award category and
Aboriginal Peoples’ Publishing Award, as well as for the Award for Scholarly
Writing. Leah Marie Dorion, Michif Translation by Norman Fleury The Diamond
Willow Walking Stick: A Traditional Métis Story About Generosity was nominated
in the Children’s Literature Award. Breathing Life into the Stone Fort Treaty: An
Anishinabe Understanding of Treaty One by Aimée Craft was nominated for the
Aboriginal Peoples’ Publishing Award. James Daschuk’s Clearing the Plains:
Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life was nominated
for the Non-Fiction Award, First Book Award, Regina Book Award, Award for
Scholarly Writing, Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport Publishing Award and
Publishing in Education.