Hamilton Literary Awards reward standout books and storytelling

The 31st annual ceremony, now co-hosted by the Hamilton Arts Council and the gritLIT Readers and Writers Festival, will happen Dec. 12 at the Central Library.

Over 30 years of stories is something Hamilton can be proud of.

This month, the 31st annual Hamilton Literary Awards will mark another year of standout books and storytelling by some of the city’s most talented and distinguished writers. Organized by the Hamilton Arts Council and the gritLIT Readers and Writers Festival, and held at the Central Library, the yearly event is always jam-packed with a who’s who of local literary talent and cultural arts advocates.

Founded in 1994, the awards have been a consistent part of the city’s literary community with a changing array of categories. This year, awards will be given in five categories for books published in 2023: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children’s literature and the Kerry Schooley Award, named in honour of the late Hamilton author Kerry Schooley.

This year, there are three finalists in each category: in ​fiction, the nominees are Chrysalis by Anuja Varghese, The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan, and Pebble & Dove by Amy Jones. In non-fiction, the nominees are The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World's Oceans by Laura Trethewey, Imagining Imagining: Essays on Language, Identity and Infinity by Gary Barwin, and My Body Is Distant by Paige Maylott. And, in poetry, the nominees are Adventurize Your Summer! by Chris Pannell, Barcode by Eddie Lartey, and Beneath My Skin by Larissa Benfey.

Added as a category last year, the Children’s Literature Award features three standout books for young readers, including The Care and Keeping of Grandmas by Jennifer Mook-Sang, More than Words: Navigating the Complex World of Communication by Natalie Hyde and Valerie Sherrard, and Other Words for Nonno by Dave Cameron. Finally, the nominees for the Kerry Schooley Book Award are The Great Outer Dark by David Neil Lee, Imagining Imagining: Essays on Language, Identity and Infinity by Gary Barwin, and To Refrain from Embracing by Jeffrey Luscombe​​.

This year's awards ceremony will be hosted by Lishai Peel, an active writer and educator based in Hamilton. Peel's writing has earned accolades and she has performed as a spoken word artist in more than 300 venues across Canada. This year, Peel was named the City of Hamilton's inaugural Poet In Place through which she has worked to enhance public spaces through poetry projects and delivered workshops in partnership with the Hamilton Public Library.

For organizers Megan Divecha and Jessica Rose, the Hamilton Literary Awards are more than a ceremony; they’re an important milestone to gather the community of Hamilton together. As more writers have flocked to Hamilton to find a home here, and the city’s literary scene has exploded, the importance of the awards can’t be overstated. 

“It’s a very special opportunity to bring together various author communities for one evening of celebration,” says Divecha.

In her capacity as programs and community engagement coordinator for the Hamilton Arts Council, Divecha looks forward to the awards as a way to mark the important accomplishments of the city’s literary scene. “Whether this is your first book or fourth, the awards ceremony provides an opportune moment to celebrate the accomplishments of the shortlist and, more broadly, local authors who keep the spirit of writing and reading alive and thriving in the city.”

This year, the Hamilton Arts Council has partnered with gritLIT, Hamilton’s premier literary arts festival, to organize and host the awards. It’s a partnership born out of both organizational demands as well as the continuing legacy of the awards. As artistic director of the festival, Rose says the collaboration was a natural fit. “We’ve worked with the Arts Council in the past in smaller ways, but co-hosting the Hamilton Literary Awards has allowed us to forge a deeper partnership.”

Rose believes that the sharing of expertise and the pooling of resources from both organizations is a boon to the awards and will “strengthen our ability to showcase and celebrate authors in the Hamilton area.” 

Divecha agrees, saying “it was a very natural synergy” and “our partnership allows us to pool our resources and ultimately, present an even stronger program for years to come. After the success of last year’s sold out ceremony, we are anticipating another successful event.”

Divecha highlights the importance of the adjudication process in selecting the eventual winners of the awards. “This group of 15 arts professionals, located across Canada and the world, dedicate themselves to meticulously reading and scoring every submission.” It can be a challenging task to narrow down a shortlist considering the sheer number of books put forward for the awards. This year saw almost 40 submissions.

Unique among the Hamilton Literary Awards is the Kerry Schooley Award, named after the well-known local writer, editor, and teacher who passed away in 2010. Divecha says the legacy of Schooley “is profoundly felt through the vibrant literary community he helped nurture.” Among his many accolades, Schooley helped establish LitLive, and assisted the Kairos Literacy Society as well as the gritLIT Festival. 

Books that receive the award are “those that most closely evoke the essence of Hamilton in terms of themes, setting or context,” says Divecha. Rose adds that “over the years, many adjudicators in this category have commented on the city’s ability to act as almost a character in books, with its gritty charm and rich history. It’s no wonder so many authors set their books here!”

A Hamilton-based writer, HAMILTON CITY Magazine columnist and published author herself, Rose is particularly excited by the Lit Awards. “It’s truly one of my favourite nights of the year. We often think about Hamilton as a music city, but the calibre of writers we have here in town is astounding. The awards are an opportunity to celebrate authors but also their incredible cultural contributions to Hamilton and beyond. It’s also just a really fun evening where authors and book lovers can gather, chat, and hear from some amazing talent.”

Divecha agrees. “It’s a chance to mingle and connect with others in the community, and revel in an evening of literary excellence.” This is especially true for the authors. “They’re the true stars of the program. They submit their work with courage and dedication to their craft, inspiring us all with their creativity and storytelling.”

The 31st Hamilton Literary Awards will be presented on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at Hamilton Public Library's central branch at 55 York Blvd. Tickets range from $5 to $15 and are available here.