North Shore media personality Grant Lawrence was awarded the Bill Duthie Bookseller’s Choice Award at the 30th Annual BC Book Prizes for his latest book The Lonely End of the Rink: Confessions of a Reluctant Goalie.
Lawrence was in attendance at the gala on Saturday night with his parents, and accepted the award along side his publisher, Howard White of Douglas and McIntyre. He also won the award for his debut book Adventures in Solitude in 2011.
“Howard warned me that the hockey book arena was extremely competitive, but I didn’t believe him”, said Lawrence. “Sure enough, my book was repeatedly bodychecked off the the shelf by other big time hockey books by Bobby Orr and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, so I consider this award a real surprise. Thank you to the independent booksellers and stores of BC for this great honour.”
Lawrence is currently working on a third book — a rock ‘n’ roll memoir about his years as the frontman for The Smugglers, a band he started at West Van’s Hillside secondary with four buddies heavily influenced by “the Sonics, the Cramps and the Stones.”
The Booksellers’ Choice Award is voted upon by the bookstores of BC, for the best book of the year in terms of public appeal, initiative, design, production, and content.
The complete list of winners were:
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize awarded to the author of the best work of fiction: Ashley Little, Anatomy of a Girl Gang (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize to recognize the author(s) of the book that contributes most to the enjoyment and understanding of British Columbia: David Stouck, Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life (Douglas & McIntyre)
Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize awarded to the author of the best original non-fiction literary work: David Stouck, Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life (Douglas & McIntyre)
Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize awarded to the author of the best work of poetry: Jordan Abel, The Place of Scraps (Talonbooks)
Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize presented to the best illustrated book written for children: Julie Morstad, How To (Simply Read Books)
Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize awarded to the best non-illustrated book written for children: Ashley Little, The New Normal (Orca Book Publishers)
Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award presented to the originating publisher and author(s) of the best book in terms of public appeal, initiative, design, production, and content: Grant Lawrence, The Lonely End of the Rink: Confessions of a Reluctant Goalie (Douglas & McIntyre)
Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence: Kit Pearson is the recipient of this award established in 2003 by the Honourable Iona Campagnolo, which recognizes British Columbia writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence in the province.
This year’s Gala, emceed by author, activist, and comedian Charles Demers, and attended by the Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, took place at the Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel on May 3.
