On July 5th, The Word Guild put out the Short List Show for The Word Awards ( for work published in 2020) for a wide number of categories of writing. What once was a much bigger event at Write Canada has been smaller-sized over COVID, but it still was exciting.

My co-author Donna Mann had prepared our entry for the book we’d published and launched in 2020. I listened with interest for the names of fellow writers I’ve come to know. Before I knew it, I heard our book title and names. I emailed Donna while the show was still going on. “Did I hear that right?”

She affirmed it was indeed our book named in a nonfiction category. I could tell by her reply that she was excited too for our book’s placing.

It had been some time since I had shortlisted before, that was in 2012 for publications in the year 2011. Which included my book, Once Upon a Sandbox. And in 2018, our group collaboration for Good Grief People also achieved the short list for books published in 2017.

Once Upon a Sandbox, published 2011

Signing at Chapters, three of six authors represented

Six author collaboration, published in 2017

I was so excited but managed to sit through the rest of the program. The show wasn’t over yet so I listened as carefully as I could for names of people I knew in other categories. And there were many successful books, articles, blog posts from authors I know. Several categories had no short list and the winners would be announced later.

Now we wait for late September to learn the winner. Until then…

In this case, I’m thrilled that our writing,  Donna’s and mine, made the short list. Yeah!

www.carolynwilker.ca