December 5, 2018 • Toronto, Ontario: For immediate Release

 

RBC Taylor Prize 2019 Longlist Revealed

The 2019 RBC Taylor Prize jury announces ten essential titles

that should be on every Canadian’s reading list this year

RBC Taylor Prize 2019 Jurors Camilla Gibb, Roy MacGregor and Beverley McLachlin today shared the longlist for the eighteenth awarding of Canada’s most prestigious non-fiction prize.

The jury reviewed over 100 books to reach this longlist and state that “It was no small task whittling down to this longlist of ten, and we anticipate many hours of re-reading and debate before we produce our short list, and, ultimately, the winner.

We found the books breath-taking in their range of topics, and happily found so many of them serve as a useful barometer for current issues, from reconciliation to political trust. There is remarkable achievement here and we hope readers will celebrate that with us.”

The longlist books for the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize are:

1.   Son of a Critch: A Childish Newfoundland Memoir, by Mark Critch, published by Viking/Penguin Canada

2.   Just Let Me Look at You: On Fatherhood, by Bill Gaston, published by Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Canada

3.   Jan in 35 Pieces: A Memoir in Music, by Ian Hampton, published by Porcupine’s Quill

4.   Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Roads, by Kate Harris, published by Knopf Canada.

5.   All Things Consoled: A Daughter’s Memoir, by Elizabeth Hay, published by McClelland & Stewart

6.   Trust: Twenty Ways to Build a Better Country, by David Johnston, published Signal/M&S **

7.   Seeking the Fabled City: The Canadian Jewish Experience, by Allan Levine, published by McClelland and Stewart

8.   Power, Prime Ministers and the Press: The Battle for Truth on Parliament Hill, by Robert Lewis, published by Dundurn Press.

9.   Heart Berries: A Memoir, by Terese Marie Mailhot, published by Doubleday Canada

10. Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age, by Darrel McLeod, published by Douglas & McIntyre.

Noreen Taylor, chair of the Charles Taylor Foundation and founder of the Prize, commented: “What an amazing breadth of offerings this year. I can hardly wait to dive into the books I haven’t already read! Looking at this list it’s definitely going to be a busy holiday. What is so interesting is that this list reflects what Canadians are experiencing, worrying about and/or enjoying currently, and reminds Canadian readers how fortunate we are to have amongst us so many gifted and unique storytellers. Here’s to our publishers and their many distinct imprints for releasing a panorama of fascinating titles, and bravo to our jurors who performed the Herculean task of selecting this remarkable long list from amongst over 100 titles.”

Vijay Parmar, president of RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, added: “Once again, we have a longlist that showcases our national collective voice and the power that storytelling has to change our understanding and challenge our perspectives. Congratulations to the 2019 longlisted authors and thanks to our esteemed jurors for their time, dedication and reflection.”

Key Dates:

 The RBC Taylor Prize Shortlist will be announced at a news conference on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, and the winner revealed at a gala luncheon on Monday March 4, 2019.

About The RBC Taylor Prize

Established in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation and first awarded in 2000, 2019 marks the eighteenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. 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, each finalist for the Prize receives $5,000 and the winner receives a further $25,000. All authors are presented with a custom leather-bound version of their shortlisted book at the awards ceremony. All finalists receive promotional support for their nominated titles.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Vijay Parmar, David Staines, Edward Taylor, Nadina Taylor, and Noreen Taylor. The Prize Manager is Sheila Kay.

The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management. Its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail, Cision, The Huffington Post Canada, Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Omni King Edward Hotel.

To download high-resolution images of the longlisted authors and their book covers please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2019/rbctp_2019_longlist_covers_and_authors.zip

To download high-resolution images of the trustees and the jury please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2019/2019_trustees_and_jury.zip

For general information about the Prize please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.

Follow the RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize

Like the RBC Taylor Prize on Facebook At www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize

** Please note that juror Beverley McLachlin recused herself from discussion on this title, as she had contributed the Foreword.

— 30 —

For further information:

Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates

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

Just In Time For Christmas - 11 top non-fiction books on Prize Longlist

 CHARLES TAYLOR PRIZE FOR LITERARY NON-FICTION ANNOUNCES FIRST LONGLIST FOR THE 2012 ANNUAL PRIZE

In response to the large number of publishers' submissions that are received each year and the opportunity to promote the best of these books in the all-important Christmas bookselling season, the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation have decided to make public the books that are still under consideration by the 2012 prize jury. Thirty-five publishers from across North America and around the world have submitted 115 titles this year. Today, jurors Allan M. Brandt, Stevie Cameron, and Susan Renouf announced the first longlist ever issued for The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. 
The longlisted titles are:

1. Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter by Carmen Aguirre, published by Douglas & McIntyre
2. Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis, published by Knopf Canada
3. The Patrol: Seven Days in the Life of a Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan by Ryan Flavelle, published by HarperCollins
4. Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe by Charlotte Gill, published by Greystone Books
5. Nation Maker: Sir John A. MacDonald: His Life, Our Times Volume Two: 1867 - 1891 by Richard Gwyn, published by Random House Canada
6. The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit by J. J. Lee, published by McClelland & Stewart
7. Facing the Hunter: Reflections on a Misunderstood Way of Life by David Adams Richards, published by Doubleday Canada
8. Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to Live by Ray Robertson, published by Biblioasis
9. Afflictions and Departures: Essays by Madeline Sonik, published by Anvil Press
10. The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery by Andrew Westoll, published by HarperCollins
11. Bad Animals: A Father's Accidental Education in Autism by Joel Yanofsky, published by Viking Canada

Prize Founder Noreen Taylor commented: "Last year, at our 10th anniversary, the jury informed us that there were so many additional titles so close to being named to the shortlist that we realized it was time to issue a longlist. Now, as I look at the longlisted titles, it is clear that it was the right decision. Our jury has sorted through the 115 submissions and selected a longlist that is diverse in subject and treatment. Having already read a number of these books, I know that the jury has lived up to our mandate. They have Recognized Excellence."
The jurors for The 2012 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction are Allan M. Brandt, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, award-winning author Stevie Cameron, and well-respected editor and consultant Susan Renouf. Full biographies of the jurors can be found here: http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2012/jury_12.asp 
The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are Michael Bradley (Toronto), Judith Mappin (Montreal), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen Taylor (Toronto). They established The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction to commemorate the life and work of the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada's foremost essayists and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community. Charles Taylor was a foreign correspondent with The Globe and Mail and the author of four books: Radical Tories; Reporter in Red China; Six Journeys: A Canadian Pattern; and Snow Job.
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction 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 remaining finalists. All of the shortlisted titles receive extensive national publicity and marketing support.
The Charles Taylor Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of its partners: RBC Wealth Management (Presenting Sponsor); Windfields Farm (Major Sponsor); CBC Books, CNW Group, Quill & Quire, and The Globe and Mail (Media Sponsors); and Ben McNally Books, Indigo Books and Music, the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), and Kobo Inc. (In-Kind Sponsors).
The 2012 prize shortlist will be announced on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 and the winner on Monday, March 5, 2012 at events to be held in downtown Toronto.
For more information please visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca
and follow us at www.twitter.com/taylorprize
To download high resolution images of the jury, visit:
www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2012/photogallery_12.asp

LONGLIST, LONG TIME COMING - CHARLES TAYLOR PRIZE ON MONDAY

The Charles Taylor Prize For Literary Non-Fiction To Announce Its First Longlist On Monday Morning 

TORONTO, Dec. 8, 2011 /CNW/ - The  Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction jury will announce on Monday, December 12th, its longlist of book titles.  This is the first time that the annual prize will be issuing the names of the authors now in contention for the 2012 Prize. The 2012 Prize Jury members are Allan M. Brandt, Stevie Cameron, and Susan Renouf.

The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction 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 remaining finalists. All of the shortlisted titles receive extensive national publicity and marketing support.
The Charles Taylor Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of its partners: RBC Wealth Management (Presenting Sponsor); Windfields Farm (Major Sponsor); CBC Books, CNW Group, Quill & Quire, and The Globe and Mail (Media Sponsors); and Ben McNally Books, Indigo Books and Music, the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), and Kobo Inc. (In-Kind Sponsors). The 2012 longlist will be issued at 8am Monday, December 12th by CNW. The 2012 prize shortlist will be announced on Tuesday, January 10 and the winner on Tuesday, March 5, at events to be held in downtown Toronto. The prize website is: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

For further information: Stephen Weir
Charles Taylor Prize Publicist | stephen@stephenweir.com
or sweir5492@rogers.com
2482 Yonge Street, Unit 45032, Toronto, ONT.
CANADA. M4P 3E3
Tel: 416-489-5868 | Fax: 416-488-6518
www.stephenweir.com www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca