2013 Literary Prize Season Begins on January 9 in Toronto

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Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

2013 Shortlist Announcement In Toronto

  Wednesday, January 9th    ●     10:00 a.m. sharp!

KING EDWARD HOTEL

Consort Bar, Main Floor, 37 King St. East, Toronto

The 2013 Literary Prize Season in Canada begins when The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction (CTP) presented by RBC Wealth Management announces its Shortlist for 2013 on January 9th.  This prestigious book award recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. Now in its 12^th year, the CTP has been instrumental in fostering the growth of non-fiction in Canada.

Who will be there:   

Host: Noreen Taylor, Founder and Chair, The Charles Taylor Prize Foundation

2013 Jurors: Suzanne Boyce, Richard Gwyn, and Joseph Kertes

Vijay Parmar, Vice President, RBC Wealth Management

Dr. David Staines, Prize Trustee

Canadian publishers & book editors available for comment

What's happening:              

Announcing the authors and titles that have been shortlisted for the 12th awarding of The Charles Taylor Prize -- Canada's most prestigious non-fiction award.

Where:           

King Edward Hotel, Consort Bar, Main Floor, 37 King St. East, Toronto

(Parking: East of King Edward Hotel on Leader Lane)

Why attend?

Be the first to know which books have been selected for this important Shortlist. The $25,000 Prize is awarded annually to the author whose book best demonstrates a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style and a subtlety of thought and perception. An award of $2,000 is provided for each finalist with promotional support for each shortlisted title.

The winner of the 2013 Prize will be announced on Monday, March 4th.

This year, 129 submissions competed for the Charles Taylor Prize's Longlist. Fifteen titles were announced in December.  To review the 2013-longlisted authors and their books visit: thecharlestaylorprize.ca

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Media are requested to confirm their attendance with Stephen Weir & Associates:

Stephen Weir:    416-489-5868    cell: 416-801-3101   stephen@stephenweir.com

Linda Crane:       905-257-6033    cell: 416-727-0112   cranepr@cogeco.ca

How Could I Leave Stumping For Weapons of Mass Destruction?

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LUNCH AT THE PILOT: 
SO'S WHO WAS THAT GUY?

So's there I was. Having a liquid lunch today at the Pilot Tavern in downtown Toronto with a curator from the McMichael Gallery.  He went to Windsor U with my wife and I. Fine Arts.  He had the choice of sculpting me (that's how I paid my way through second year - 1970) or a live pigeon. He picked the bird. Wise choice - although I have outlived the squab.
Anyways. While we were talking I watched as a man my age came into the Yorkville bar and rolled up the indoor/outdoor rug (with the Pilot logo) took it to his white van and then came back with a clean one. Looked very familiar. Bigger. Grayer. Older than the old old days.
He worked at Litton Canada - the cruise missile factory - till he was laid off 20 years ago. He knew me by name. But, mostly because of Caribana. 
I couldn't remember his name. Round face, beard with a moustache.  Married a woman from Litton. Her name is something like Zowie. Or close to that.  She hasn't worked for 2 years. Trouble with her hands. They are trying to get her on disability.
Think the guy worked in maintenance.  Never found out - he couldn't talk long. He was double parked out front on Cumberland Street. Cars were honking.
Didn't have the guts to tell him I couldn't remember his name. He was out of touch. Didn't know about Chuck. Didn't know about Karen F. Or any of the other co-workers who have died to soon.  He just wanted to find out how it had come to be that I walked away from promoting the business of building weapons to becoming the spokesman for Caribana. He and his wife watched  for me every summer on CP-24.
So who was it?  Or does it matter? 
Told him about how three friends from the "old days" still have lunch every three months at a pizza bar in Mississauga near the QEW. Don't think he is going to join us. He isn't allowed to drive west of Islington Avenue - he just works the bars downtown and now and then talks to strange men like me.

2013 Book Prize Season Begins January 9th in Toronto at the King Eddie!

 

S A V E   T H E    D A T E!

Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

2013 Shortlist Announcement

  Wednesday, January 9th   ●   10:00 a.m. sharp!

King Edward Hotel

Consort Bar, Main Floor, 37 King St. East, Toronto

The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction (CTP) presented by RBC Wealth Management will be announcing its Shortlist for 2013 on January 9th.  This prestigious book award recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. Now in its 12^th awarding, the CTP has been instrumental in fostering the growth of non-fiction in Canada. Mark your planners/auto-reminders, and RSVP now.

Readers of StephenWeir.com are welcome to attend. RSVP required!

Who will be there:           

Host: Noreen Taylor, Founder and Chair, the Charles Taylor Prize Foundation

2013 Jurors:  Susanne Boyce, Richard Gwyn, Joseph Kertes

Other spokespersons: Vijay Parmar, Vice President, RBC Wealth Management, Dr. David Staines, Prize Trustee, Canadian publishers & book editors

What's happening:                        

Announcing the authors and titles that have been shortlisted for the 12th awarding of The Charles Taylor Prize -- Canada's most prestigious non-fiction award.

Where:           

The King Edward Hotel, Consort Bar, Main Floor, 37 King St. East, Toronto

Why attend?           

Be the first to know which books have been selected for this important Shortlist. The $25,000 Prize is awarded annually to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style and a subtlety of thought and perception. An honorarium of $2,000 is given to each finalist with promotional support for each shortlisted title.

129 submissions competed for this year's CTP Longlist. Fifteen titles were announced in December.  To review the 2013 longlist visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

Note: The winner of the 2013 prize will be announced on Monday, March 4th. 

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Media are requested to confirm their attendance with Stephen Weir & Associates:

Stephen Weir:                  416-489-5868                    cell: 416-801-3101   stephen@stephenweir.com

Linda Crane:                       905-257-6033    cell: 416-727-0112   cranepr@cogeco.ca

The Charles Taylor Prize Announces Longlist - just in time for Christmas shopping!

Sixteen Canadian Authors Who Have Written Fifteen Non-Fiction Books

Are Named to the 2013 Taylor Prize Longlist

Noreen Taylor, founder of The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, is pleased to announce that for the second year in a row, gift buyers have a shopping list of books to buy for Christmas, and a window on the titles still in the running to be shortlisted by prize jurors Susanne Boyce, TV broadcast chief, Richard Gwyn, award-winning author and political columnist, and Joseph Kertes, educator and award-winning author. 

Mrs. Taylor commented, “Last year the prize announced its first ever longlist and found that sharing the jury’s selections to be so valuable to authors and publishers, that we have decided to do it again. Announcing the longlist at the height of the Christmas shopping season will help discriminating book buyers find the right gift for any number of people on their list. There’s nothing like a great read over the Christmas break."

The jury has selected their fifteen-book longlist from 129 titles written by Canadians, published between October 22, 2011 and October 21, 2012, and submitted to The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction by 43 publishers from across North America.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are pleased to announce the 2013 Taylor Prize longlist:

1.            The Pursuit of Perfection: A Life of Celia Franca by Carol Bishop-Gwyn (Toronto), published by Cormorant Books

2.            Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King, and Canada’s World Wars by Tim Cook  (Ottawa), published by Allen Lane

3.            Walls: Travels Along the Barricades by Marcello Di Cintio (Calgary), published by Goose Lane Editions

4.            Journey with No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page by Sandra Djwa (Vancouver), published by McGill-Queen’s University Press

5.            Solar Dance: Genius, Forgery, and the Crisis of Truth in the Modern Age by Modris Eksteins (Toronto), published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada

6.            A Season in Hell: My 130 Days in the Sahara With Al Qaeda by Robert Fowler (Ottawa), published by HarperCollins Publishers

7.            Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland (New York City), published by Doubleday Canada

8.            March Forth: The Inspiring True Story of a Canadian Soldier’s Journey of Love,  Hope and Survival by Trevor and Debbie Greene (Nanaimo), published by HarperCollins Publishers

9.            Leonardo and The Last Supper by Ross King (Oxford), published by Bond Street Books

10.            Working the Dead Beat: 50 Lives That Changed Canada by Sandra Martin (Toronto), published by House of Anansi Press

11.            Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy by Andrew Preston (Cambridge), published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada

12.            What We Talk About When We Talk About War by Noah Richler (Toronto), published by Goose Lane Editions

13.            Chronic Condition: Why Canada’s Health-Care System Needs to be Dragged Into the 21st Century by Jeffrey Simpson (Ottawa), published by Allen Lane

14.            Epistolophilia: Writing the Life of Ona Šimaithe by Julija Šukys (Montreal), published by University of Nebraska Press

15.            The Universe Within: From Quantum to Cosmos by Neil Turok (Waterloo), published by House of Anansi Press

About The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

The Charles Taylor Prize commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. The prize will be awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception. The prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the remaining finalists, as well as promotional support to help all of the nominated books to stand out in the media, bookstores, and libraries. The authors whose books go on to be shortlisted for the 2013 prize will be brought to Toronto for publicity opportunities and the awards ceremony.

The shortlist will be revealed at a press conference on Wednesday, January 9th and the winner will be named at a gala luncheon and awards ceremony at the King Edward hotel in downtown Toronto on Monday, March 4, 2013.

Established in 1998, The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is Canada's most prestigious award for literary non-fiction. The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are Michael Bradley (Toronto), Judith Mappin (Montreal), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen Taylor (Toronto).

The Charles Taylor Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of its partners. The presenting sponsor of The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is RBC Wealth Management; its Major Sponsor is Metropia; its exclusive newspaper sponsor is The Globe and Mail; its media sponsors are CBC Books; Canada Newswire (CNW) Group; The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean’s magazine, and Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Authors at Harbourfront Centre, Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Indigo Books and Music, The King Edward hotel, and Kobo Inc.

For more information please visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca and follow us at www.twitter.com/taylorprize

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Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates

Stephen Weir: Direct: 416.489.5868 | Cell: 416-801-3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com

Linda Crane: Direct: 905-257-6033 | Cell: 416-727-0112 | cranepr@cogeco.ca

To download high resolution images of the jury, visit:

www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2013/photogallery_13.asp

To download high resolution images of the longlist books, visit:

www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2013/longlist_13.asp

PR pointers - Sex doesn't always sell

 On Flickr, people vote with their eyes.  God. Shipwrecks or a Bikini Queen. The eyes have it, and, numbers don't lie!

Pop Quiz - How Well Do You Know People's Tastes?

I have stitched three pictures from my flickr account into one low rez image at the top of this blog post.
In the upper most box is a picture I took underwater in Florida - Christ in the Abyss. It is a picture of a famous statue that is underwater in a Florida Keys party. Bottom left is photographer Dave Tollington's picture of the Titanic Museum in the Smokey Mountains.  Bottom right is my photograph of  SERENA DI MILLO.  I took the picture seconds after she won the 2011 Miss Chin Bikini International Contest here in Toronto at the annual CHIN Picnic.

Which picture do you think has received the most hits???

Drum Roll.

Answer: Never underestimate the drawing power of the Titanic! Close to 3,000 people have looked at that picture. 500 more hits than Christ in the Abyss and 2,500 more hits than Serena!