This year’s list of laudable local authors is on the books.
The 2022-23 North Shore Authors Collection is now on display at North Vancouver City Library, North Vancouver District Public Library and West Vancouver Memorial Library.
The collection features more than 120 titles from 90 local authors.
Among the authors is former broadcaster Tara McGuire for her book Holden After and Before: Love Letter for a Son Lost to Overdose, a work that melds fact and fiction in her attempt to grapple with the loss of her son after he died of an accidental opioid overdose.
“There is a reference to a North Shore library in the opening pages of my book because the library has always been an integral part of my family’s life,” McGuire said in a statement. “I am thrilled my book is now available at these very same libraries, along with so many other wonderful books.”
McGuire added that the concept of free access to books, along with the knowledge and pleasure they offer, is one of the shining elements of our society. “To me, the library represents home, comfort and discovery.”
Also included is The Broken Places by Frances Peck, which has a number of holds on it, said North Van District Public Library spokesperson Meghan Crowe.
Peck’s novel traces the fault lines of relationships as a massive earthquake strikes Vancouver.
Thanks to the editorial efforts of Lid Hawkins, Holiday 1909 is among the list of titles as well. Colourful journal entries and stunningly preserved photography from her grandfather Charles “Chappy” Chapman show us what it was like to climb to the Seymour Creek headwaters 113 years ago.
From famed cartoonist Graham Harrop, you’ll find Sun Spots: A Treasury of Graham Harrop’s Editorial Cartoons for The Vancouver Sun 1996-2021, Gardening with Cats: A cat’s guide to the flowerbed and So You Won the Lottery! A Look at the Lives of the Suddenly Super-Rich.
The full range of the collection spans from literary fiction to children’s books to an instructional Dungeons and Dragons manual.
Authors selected for the 2022-23 North Shore Authors Collection celebrated its debut at an opening reception at North Vancouver City Library on Nov. 17.
Accepted authors must have had their work published either independently or commercially between 2012 and 2022, and lived on the North Shore during creation or publication.
Author bios and more information about the collection is available online.
