ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The finalists for the 2020 Atlantic Book Awards include six works from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Local writers Gemma Hickey and Terry Doyle are among five double award nominees this year. Hickey, a long-time LGBTQ2+ activist, is a finalist for the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association Best Atlantic-Published Book Award and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Non-Fiction. "Almost Feral," a memoir covering Hickey's journey of self-discovery, was published by Breakwater Books.
Fellow Breakwater author Doyle is nominated for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Fiction. "Dig" is a collection of short stories.
Michael Crummey's "The Innocents," which was shortlisted for last year's Giller Prize, is a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. It's published by Doubleday Canada.
Kevin Major joins Hickey as a finalist for the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association Best Atlantic-Published Book Award for "Land Beyond The Sea," also published by Breakwater Books.
Rie Croll, a social cultural studies professor at Memorial University's Grenfell Campus, is a finalist for the Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing in recognition of "Shaped by Silence: Stories from Inmates of the Good Shepherd Laundries and Reformatories," published by ISER Books.
"Peg Bearskin: A Traditional Newfoundland Tale," an adaptation by Andy Jones and Philip Dinn based on a story told by Elizabeth Brewer, is a finalist for the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration, recognizing the work of American artist Denise Gallagher for a new edition of the book, which was first published in 2003. The new edition is published by Running the Goat Books.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards gala scheduled to take place later this month will instead happen online, with winners to be announced June 30.
