2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize Goes West with Five Writer Shortlist

This morning CBC Books announced the five finalists for the CBC Nonfiction Prize. Chosen from amongst a staggering 1700 entries from across Canada, these five writers have crafted true stories that resonated deeply with the readers and judges.

It's proved a good year for western Canada, with four of the five finalists hailing from British Columbia, and the remaining nominee from Saskatoon. 

The jury, composed of writers Yasuko Thanh, Bill Gaston, and Robyn Doolittle, whittled the longlist of 35 nonfiction pieces down to these five, who now vie for a $6,000 grand prize from the Canada Council for the Arts and a two-week residency at the prestigious the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. 

The 2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize Finalists:

• "Ray Says" by Joseph Kakwinokanasum (White Rock, B.C.)
• "Take a Photo Before I Leave You" by Amy MacRae (Vancouver, B.C.)
• "Value Village" by Jonathan Poh (Burnaby, B.C.)
• "The Story Teller" by Rachael Preston (Nanaimo, B.C.)
• "Sturnella Neglecta (Overlooked Little Starling)" by Leona Theis (Saskatoon, SK)

Sadly, finalist Amy MacRae passed away in June 2020, at age 35, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017. Her nominated essay explores her daily life following the diagnosis. Her husband responded to her nomination, saying "I feel so proud that Amy’s piece was chosen as a finalist and that her words will be read by others after she opened up so bravely about how cancer affected her and her loved ones. While still grieving every day, my family was thrilled with the news as we know how Amy would have felt about it – stunned and elated."

Leona Theis, nominated for her story that combines her personal hearing loss with the loss of billions of birds in North America, is a past winner of the prize, having previously won in 2006 for her essay "The Occupations of Muriel Thompson". She's also a novelist, as is finalist Rachel Preston, who has published three novels. 

Finalist Jonathan Poh is a former editor of Hypebeast Magazine, cultural writer, and a communications professional. His nominated essay, which deals with identity, bullying, and his experience as an immigrant from Singapore, "Value Village", is his first piece of personal nonfiction. Joseph Kakwinokanasum, a Cree-Austrian writer has been honoured previously with grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and an honourable mention from the 2020 Humber Literary Review fiction contest.

You can read all the nominated pieces on CBC Books' website via the links above, and the winner of the CBC Nonfiction Prize will be announced on October 1.