Northerners Kat艂寞脿 (Catherine) Lafferty and Isis Essery, along with her sister Rhiannon White, walked away with writing awards from NorthWords NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 weekend event titled Gather, which celebrated literature.
SA国际影视传媒淥h, it feels great because the NWT is my home and the book is set in the North,SA国际影视传媒� Lafferty said regarding her award. SA国际影视传媒�(ItSA国际影视传媒檚) an honour.SA国际影视传媒�
RELATED REPORTING: Catherine Lafferty releases first novel with Land-Water-Sky
Lafferty took home the prize for Adult Book Award, along with $1,000 in prize money for her novel titled Land-Water-Sky/Nd猫-T谋-YatSA国际影视传媒檃, which was published in 2020.
Meanwhile, Essery and White earned the Youth Book Award for I Love You More Than The North Is Vast, which was also released in 2020.
SA国际影视传媒淚 didnSA国际影视传媒檛 expect that at all,SA国际影视传媒� said Essery. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a real honour to be recognized like that. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 so many great authors in the North, so itSA国际影视传媒檚 just nice to be recognized and to be among them. It was a great, great surprise.SA国际影视传媒�
尝补蹿蹿别谤迟测SA国际影视传媒檚 Land-Water-Sky/Nd猫-T谋-YatSA国际影视传媒檃, a 170-plus page novel, also received a nomination for an Indigenous Voices Awards in 2021.
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Despite being unable to accept the NorthWordsSA国际影视传媒� award in-person at the Elks Lodge on the evening of April 2 due to schooling conflicts, Lafferty, whoSA国际影视传媒檚 attending the University of Victoria for her fourth year of law, had prepared an acceptance speech.
SA国际影视传媒淚t is an honour to receive an award from the place where I am from,SA国际影视传媒� she wrote. SA国际影视传媒淭hank you to NorthWords for continuously acknowledging my work. This award represents my home, which makes it that much more special. This is also the first award I have ever received for my writing SA国际影视传媒� other than when I was in Grade 5 and wrote a short story about something I canSA国际影视传媒檛 remember. All I know is that it won a small prize, but that one doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 quite match up to this!SA国际影视传媒�
尝补蹿蹿别谤迟测SA国际影视传媒檚 book initially started as a non-fiction short story that she wrote while she was at her grandmotherSA国际影视传媒檚 home one summer.
However, through the writing process, it would eventually progress from non-fiction into the realm of fiction.
SA国际影视传媒淚 took the truth and I kind of twisted it around and played with it, and exaggerated the truth until it kind of grew into something that was much larger than the short story and I just kept going with it,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of the stories in it are centered around certain important themes like child apprehension in the foster system in the North, and in Canada, pretty much. Then thereSA国际影视传媒檚 also the theme of land dispossession and corporate corruption, corporate greed.SA国际影视传媒�
The book also serves as a homage to 尝补蹿蹿别谤迟测SA国际影视传媒檚 grandmotherSA国际影视传媒檚 homeland.
SA国际影视传媒淭he coverSA国际影视传媒檚 where my grandmother was born. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 an island in the Great Slave Lake called Nishi Island,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淪o I just poured my heart into it. It has a lot of significance throughout.SA国际影视传媒�
As for the winners of the Youth Book Award, Essery wrote I Love You More Than The North Is Vast while White illustrated it, following the birth of EsserySA国际影视传媒檚 first child.
SA国际影视传媒淚t just kind of came into my head,SA国际影视传媒� said Essery. SA国际影视传媒淭hen, so Rhiannon is my sister, and sheSA国际影视传媒檚 an incredible illustrator, so I asked her if she would illustrate it for me.
SA国际影视传媒淭hen, ISA国际影视传媒檓 a graphic designer, so we kind of worked together on the design and put it all together,SA国际影视传媒� she continued. SA国际影视传媒淚t was really a collaborative process, so it was really great working with my sister, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 just a really fun little project for us.SA国际影视传媒�
The book follows different types of children, as well as SA国际影视传媒渄ifferent types of loveSA国际影视传媒� and where that can come from.
SA国际影视传媒淪o love can come through your parents, grandparents, friends, family,SA国际影视传媒� Essery said. SA国际影视传媒淪o itSA国际影视传媒檚 just cute little rhymes about how much this child is being loved through Northern types of rhymes, I guess, and imagery.SA国际影视传媒�
Looking to what the future holds for the writers, Lafferty is aiming to complete her law school studies before heading back to the North. Essery would like to write another book with her sister.
SA国际影视传媒淲e definitely talk about it all the time,SA国际影视传媒� Essery laughed.
