Andrew Battershill, Robin Richardson & Barry Callaghan win 2019 ReLit Awards
The ReLit Awards honour the best Canadian books published by independent presses
Andrew Battershill, Robin Richardson and Barry Callaghan are the winners of the 2019 ReLit Awards.
The ReLit Awards honour the best Canadian books published by independent presses.
Battershill won the novel category for Marry, Bang, Kill.
Marry, Bang, Kill is a crime thriller involving a thief named Tommy Marlo and the trouble he gets into after stealing from the daughter of a high-ranking member of a motorcycle gang.
Battershill is a writer from Vancouver. He is also the author of Pillow, which appeared on the 2016 longlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Richardson won the poetry category for Sit How You Want.
Strong female voices open up revealing narratives of trauma and pain in Sit How You Want. The collection deploys a sharp poetic wit to address themes of abuse, anxiety and powerlessness. It was also a finalist for the 2019 Trillium Book Award for poetry.
Richardson is a poet from Toronto. She is also the author of the poetry collections Try Not to Get Too Attached and Lighten Up, You're Internal.
Callaghan won the short fiction category for All the Lonely People.
All the Lonely People is a collection of short stories that feature a wide array of original, compelling characters.
Callaghan is a novelist and poet from Toronto. He is the author of several books, including The Black Queen Stories, The Way the Angel Spreads Her Wings and A Kiss Is Still A Kiss. He is the publisher of the literary mag Exile and is the son of late Canadian novelist and short story writer, Morley Callaghan.
The prize was first founded in 2000 by Newfoundland filmmaker and author Kenneth J. Harvey. The year 2017 marked the last year the prizes were previously awarded.
The ReLit Awards are now being managed by Harvey's daughter, Katherine Alexandra Harvey.
To bring the awards up to date, the prizes will announce the shortlists and winners for 2018-2021 in April, with each week in the month being devoted to a single year.
Winners receive the ReLit Ring, which consists of four dials that are inscribed with the alphabet. However, Harvey says financial donations are needed to ensure this tradition continues.
Next week, the 2020 shortlist and winners will be announced.
Past winners include Bill Gaston, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Lisa Moore, Ivan Coyote, Megan Gail Coles and Suzette Mayr.
