Plum Johnson Wins the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize for They Left Us Everything
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TORONTO, March 2, 2015 /CNW/ - The Winner of the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize is Plum Johnson, author of They Left Us Everything,
published by Penguin Canada. The $25,000 award was announced today in
Toronto by Prize founder and Chair Noreen Taylor during a gala luncheon
celebrating this year's finalists. This was the 14th awarding of the
country's most prestigious prize for literary non-fiction.
Of the book, the jury notes: "[The story is] beautifully observed and written with great warmth and wit. They Left Us Everything
is an absorbing memoir of grief, growth, and decluttering. Plum Johnson
must deal not merely with the legacy of her difficult, ill-matched
parents, but is handed the burden of disposing of the seemingly endless
contents of their 23-room Lake Ontario home, which becomes a character
on its own in the telling. The task, which she initially thinks
manageable,
proves Herculean, far more complex than she'd imagined, involving
understanding her past and packing up its contents, both literal and
metaphorical. A story of love, loss, and legacy, written with compassion
and humour, it subtly evokes T.S. Eliot's lines: "We shall not cease
from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive
where we started and know the place for the first time."
Plum Johnson is an award-winning author, artist, and entrepreneur. She
was the founder of KidsCanada Publishing Corp., publisher of KidsToronto, and co-founder of Help's Here! resource magazine for seniors and caregivers. The author lives in Toronto where she paints and is working on her next book.
The five finalists for the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize were: Plum Johnson (Toronto, Ontario) for They Left Us Everything, published by Penguin Canada; David O'Keefe (Montreal, Quebec) for One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada's Tragedy at Dieppe, published by Random House Canada; Barbara Taylor (London, England) for The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness In Our Times, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada; M.G. Vassanji (Toronto, Ontario) for And Home Was Kariakoo: A
Memoir of East Africa, published by Doubleday Canada; and Kathleen Winter (Montreal, Quebec) for Boundless, published by House of Anansi Press.
Presenting partner RBC Wealth Management will host Plum Johnson on a speaking tour of selected Canadian cities.
The jurors for the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize are: Kevin Garland, former
executive director of the National Ballet of Canada; Martin Levin,
editor, columnist, and playwright; and Andrew Preston, winner of the
2013 RBC Taylor Prize, editor, and lecturer. Diverse and accomplished,
this year's decision-making team approached their reading list with
skill to determine the best works of literary non-fiction for this the
14th awarding of the prestigious Prize.
"This is a prize that pushes non-fiction boundaries," commented Noreen
Taylor. "Each year the winner sets the bar higher and higher for
standards of excellence in the field of a unique Canadian non-fiction
genre."
The 2015 RBC Taylor Prize also includes its second annual Emerging
Writers Award, which is to be given to a promising Canadian author of
non-fiction selected by the winner of the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize. The
recipient of the Emerging Writers Award will receive $10,000 and the
opportunity to be mentored under the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize winner. The
second annual winner of the Emerging Writers Award will be announced
later this month.
"On behalf of RBC Wealth Management, congratulations to Plum Johnson for
this outstanding achievement" said Vijay Parmar, president of RBC
PH&N Investment Counsel. "We are proud of our ongoing commitment to
supporting talented Canadian authors and their passion for literary
excellence through the RBC Taylor Prize. Presented 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, the RBC Taylor
Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and
emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates.
Since its inception as The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary
Non-Fiction, the Prize has helped engage Canadians in literary
non-fiction and boost sales of its finalists' books."
About the RBC Taylor Prize:The RBC Taylor Prize is awarded
annually to the author whose book best combines an excellent command of
the English language, an elegance of style, quality of thought, and
subtlety of perception. The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winning
author and $2,000 for each of the runners-up.
The Emerging Writer's award was established in 2013 to provide
recognition and assistance to a Canadian published author who is working
on a significant writing project, preferably but not limited to
literary non-fiction. Through mentorship from the nominating author, and
a $10,000 cash award, it is intended that the writer will be able to
progress toward the creation of a first draft work.
The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley
(Toronto), Vijay Parmar (Toronto), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen
Taylor (Toronto).
The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management, its major sponsor is Metropia, its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail (exclusive newspaper sponsor), CNW Group, The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean's magazine, and Quill & Quire
magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Ben McNally Books, Event Source,
International Festival of Authors (IFOA), The Omni King Edward Hotel,
and The Toronto Library Board.
For more information visit: www.rbctaylorprize.ca. For more information about the finalists visit www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/finalists_15.asp. Visit RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize.
To download high-resolution images of our 2015 winner, the jury, finalists, and all shortlisted titles, please go to www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/photogallery_15.asp
Image with caption: "Taylor Prize winner 2015 Plum Johnson and Noreen Taylor, founder RBC Taylor Prize - Photo Tom Sandler (CNW Group/RBC Taylor Prize)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150302_C8712_PHOTO_EN_12734.jpg
Image with caption: "2015 RBC Taylor Prize winner Plum Johnson - Photo Tom Sandler (CNW Group/RBC Taylor Prize)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150302_C8712_PHOTO_EN_12735.jpg
SOURCE RBC Taylor Prize
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