Quebec Writers' Federation Awards

The Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English by writers from Quebec. They were known from 1988 to 1998 as the QSPELL Awards.

Winners by year

1988

Fiction: Hugh Hood, The Motor Boys in Ottawa^[1]
Non-fiction: Witold Rybczynski, Home: A Short History of an Idea^[1]
Poetry: David Solway, Modern Marriage^[1]

1989

Fiction: Kenneth Radu, Distant Relations^[2]
Non-fiction: Witold Rybczynski, The Most Beautiful House in the World^[2]
Poetry: D. G. Jones, Balthazar and Other Poems^[2]

1990

Fiction: Mordecai Richler, Solomon Gursky Was Here^[3]
Non-fiction: David Solway, Education Lost: Reflections on Contemporary Pedogogical Practice^[3]
Poetry: Erín Moure, WSW (West South West) and Bruce Taylor, Cold Rubber Feet^[3]

1991

Fiction: Kenneth Radu, A Private Performance^[4]
Non-fiction: Donald MacKay, Flight from Famine^[4]
Poetry: Eric Ormsby, Bavarian Shrine and Other Poems^[4]

1992

Fiction: Ray Smith, A Night at the Opera^[5]
Non-fiction: Mary Meigs, In the Company of Strangers^[5]
Poetry: Naomi Guttman, Reasons for Winter^[5]

1993

Fiction: P. Scott Lawrence, Missing Fred Astaire^[6]
Non-fiction: Zhimei Zhang, Foxspirit: A Woman in Mao's China^[6]
Poetry: Ralph Gustafson, Configurations at Midnight^[6]

1994

Fiction: Ann Diamond, Evil Eye^[7]
Non-fiction: Laura S. Groening, E.K. Brown: A Study in Conflict^[7]
Poetry: Julie Bruck, The Woman Downstairs and Raymond Filip, Flowers in Magnetic Fields^[7]

1995

Fiction: George Szanto, Friends & Marriages^[8]
Non-fiction: Charles Foran, The Last House of Ulster: A Family in Belfast^[8]
Poetry: D. G. Jones, The Floating Garden^[8]
Community: Judith Mappin^[8]

1996

Fiction: Trevor Ferguson, The Time Keeper
Non-fiction: T. F. Rigelhof, A Blue Boy in a Black Dress: A Memoir
Poetry: Anne Carson, Glass, Irony and God
First Book: Blema Steinberg, Shame and Humiliation: Presidential Decision Making on Vietnam
Community: Bryan Demchinsky

1997

Fiction: Charles Foran, Butterfly Lovers^[9]
Non-fiction: William Weintraub, City Unique: Montreal Days and Nights in the 40s and 50s^[9]
Poetry: Ralph Gustafson, Visions Fugitive^[9]
First Book: Irene Burstyn, Picking Up Pearls^[9]
Community: Shelley Pomerance^[9]

1998

Fiction: Mordecai Richler, Barney's Version^[10]
Non-fiction: David Manicom, Progeny of Ghosts: Travels in Russia and the Old Empire^[10]
Poetry: Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red^[10]
First Book: Matthew Friedman, Fuzzy Logic: Dispatches from the Information Revolution^[10]
Translation: Hélène Rioux, Self (Yann Martel)^[10]
Community: Simon Dardick and Nancy Marrelli^[10]

1999

Fiction: Elyse Gasco, Can You Wave Bye-Bye, Baby?^[11]
Non-fiction: Elaine Kalman Naves, Putting Down Roots^[11]
Poetry: Bruce Taylor, Facts^[11]
First Book: Elyse Gasco, Can You Wave Bye-Bye, Baby?^[11]
Translation: Sheila Fischman, These Festive Nights (Marie-Claire Blais)^[11]
Community: Mireille Goulet^[11]

2000

Fiction: Julie Keith, The Devil Out There^[12]
Non-fiction: Taras Grescoe, Sacré Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec^[12]
Poetry: Rachel Rose, Giving My Body to Science^[12]
First Book: Taras Grescoe, Sacré Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec^[12]
Translation: Claire Dé, Montréal barbare (Robert Majzels)^[12]
Community: Patricia Pleszcynska^[12]

2001

Fiction: Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Non-fiction: Jack Todd, A Taste of Metal: A Deserter's Story
Poetry: Anne Carson, The Beauty of the Husband
First Book: Jack Todd, A Taste of Metal: A Deserter's Story
Translation: Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott, The Great Peace of Montreal of 1701: French-Native Diplomacy in the Seventeenth Century (Gilles Havard)
Community: Germain Lefebvre

2002

Fiction: Neil Bissoondath, Doing the Heart Good
Non-fiction: Henry T. Aubin, The Rescue of Jerusalem
Poetry: Norm Sibum, Girls and Handsome Dogs
First Book: Nalini Warriar, Blues from the Malabar Coast
Translation: Pan Bouyoucas, Dans l'ombre de Maggie (Sheila Arnopoulos)
Community: Linda Shohet

2003

Fiction: David Homel, The Speaking Cure^[13]
Non-fiction: Elaine Kalman Naves, Shoshanna's Story^[13]
Poetry: Susan Gillis, Volta^[13]
First Book: Neale McDevitt, One Day Even Trevi Will Crumble^[13]
Translation: Fred A. Reed and David Homel, The Heart Is an Involuntary Muscle (Monique Proulx)^[13]
Community: Linda Leith^[13]

2004

Fiction: Edeet Ravel, Look for Me
Non-fiction: Joel Yanofsky, Mordecai and Me: An Appreciation of a Kind
Poetry: Carmine Starnino, With English Subtitles
First Book: Jaspreet Singh, Seventeen Tomatoes: Tales from Kashmir
Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Un baume pour le cœur (Neil Bissoondath)
Community: Margaret Goldik and Ian McGillis

2005

Fiction: Neil Bissoondath, The Unyielding Clamour of the Night^[14]
Non-fiction: Fred Bruemmer, Survival: A Refugee Life^[14]
Poetry: Erín Moure, Little Theatres^[14]
First Book: Marci Denesiuk, The Far Away Home and Dimitri Nasrallah, Blackbodying^[14]
Translation: Fred A. Reed, Truth or Death: The Quest for Immortality in the Western Narrative Tradition (Thierry Hentsch)^[14]
Community: Guy Rodgers^[14]

2006

Fiction: Rawi Hage, De Niro's Game
Non-fiction: Sherry Simon, Translating Montreal: Episodes in the Life of a Divided City
Poetry: Susan Elmslie, I, Nadja and Other Poems
First Book: Rawi Hage, De Niro's Game
Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, La Clameur des ténèbres (Neil Bissoondath)
Community: Julie Keith

2007

Fiction: Heather O'Neill, Lullabies for Little Criminals
Non-fiction: Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau, The Story of French
Poetry: David Solway, Reaching for Clear: The Poetry of Rhys Savarin
First Book: Neil Smith, Bang Crunch
Translation: Lazer Lederhendler, The Immaculate Conception (Gaétan Soucy)
Community: André Vanasse

2008

Fiction: Rawi Hage, Cockroach
Non-fiction: Taras Grescoe, Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood
Poetry: Peter Richardson, Sympathy for the Couriers
First Book: Adam Leith Gollner, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession
Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Big Bang (Neil Smith)
Children's Literature: Raquel Rivera, Orphan Ahwak
Community: Mary Soderstrom
Carte Blanche Prize: J. R. Carpenter, "Wyoming is Haunted"

2009

Fiction: Colin McAdam, Fall
Non-fiction: Eric Siblin, The Cello Suites
Poetry: Carmine Starnino, This Way Out
First Book: Eric Siblin, The Cello Suites
Translation: Lazer Lederhendler, Nikolski (Nicolas Dickner)
Children's and Young Adult Literature: Monique Polak, What World is Left
Community: Luci and Adrian King-Edwards
Carte Blanche Prize: Julie Mahfood, Changing Winter Tires

2010

Fiction: Miguel Syjuco, Illustrado
Non-fiction: Cleo Paskal, Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map
Poetry: Kate Hall, The Certainty Dream
First Book: Sean Mills, The Empire Within: Postcolonial Thought and Political Activism in Sixties Montreal
Translation: Paule Champoux, Québec, ville du patrimoine mondial (David Mendel, Quebec, World Heritage City)
Children's and Young Adult Literature: Caryl Cude Mullin, Rough Magic
Community: Ilona Martonfi
Carte Blanche Prize: Mark Paterson, Something Important and Delicate

2011

Fiction: Dimitri Nasrallah, Niko
Non-fiction: Joel Yanofsky, Bad Animals: A Father's Accidental Education in Autism
Poetry: Gabe Foreman, A Complete Encyclopedia of Different Types of People
First Book: Ann Scowcroft, The Truth of Houses
Translation: Lazer Lederhendler, Apocalypse for Beginners (Nicolas Dickner, Tarmac)
Children's and Young Adult Literature: Alan Silberberg, Milo
Community: Endre Farkas
Carte Blanche Prize: Gillian Sze, Like This Together

2012

Fiction: Rawi Hage, Carnival
Non-fiction: Taras Grescoe, Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile
Poetry: Oana Avasilichioaei, We, Beasts
First Book: Alice Petersen, All The Voices Cry
Translation: Éric Fontaine, T'es con, point (Doug Harris, YOU Comma Idiot)
Children's and Young Adult Literature: Catherine Austen, 26 Tips for Surviving Grade 6
Community: Steve Luxton
Carte Blanche Prize: Heather Davis, Aria

2013

Fiction: Saleema Nawaz, Bone and Bread
Non-fiction: Adam Leith Gollner, The Book of Immortality
Poetry: Ken Howe, The Civic-Mindedness of Trees
First Book: Andrew Szymanski, The Barista and I
Translation: Donald Winkler, The Major Verbs
Children's and Young Adult Literature: Paul Blackwell, Undercurrent
Carte Blanche Prize: Juliet Waters, Bluefooted

2014

Fiction: Sean Michaels, Us Conductors
Non-fiction: Chantal Hébert, The Morning After: The 1995 Quebec Referendum and the Day that Almost Was
Poetry: Sina Queyras, MxT
First Book: Anna Leventhal, Sweet Affliction
Children's and Young Adult Literature: Monique Polak, Hate Mail
Carte Blanche Prize: Elaine Kennedy and Sheryl Curtis, It’s Late, Doctor Schweitzer (Didier Leclair)

2015

Fiction: Neil Smith, Boo
Non-fiction: Carlos Fraenkel, Teaching Plato in Palestine: Philosophy in a Divided World
Poetry: David McGimpsey, Asbestos Heights
First Book: Anita Anand, Swing in the House and Other Stories
Translation: Debbie Blythe, Turkey and the Armenian Ghost: On the Trail of the Genocide
Carte Blanche Prize: Deborah Van Slet, Self-Serve

2016

Fiction: Liam Durcan, The Measure of Darkness
Non-fiction: Daniel J. Levitin, A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age
Poetry: Kelly Norah Drukker, Small Fires
First Book: Kelly Norah Drukker, Small Fires
Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Solomon Gursky (Mordecai Richler, Solomon Gursky Was Here)
Children's Literature: Bonnie Farmer, Oscar Lives Next Door
Carte Blanche Prize: Lesley Trites, Rabbits with Red Eyes

2017

Fiction: Heather O'Neill, The Lonely Hearts Hotel
Non-fiction: Sandra Perron, Out Standing in the Field: A Memoir by Canada's First Female Infantry Officer
Poetry: Erin Robinsong, Rag Cosmology
First Book: Jocelyn Parr, Uncertain Weights and Measures
Translation: Peter Feldstein, The Pauper's Freedom: Crime and Poverty in Nineteenth-Century Quebec (Jean-Marie Fecteau, La liberté pauvre)
Children's Literature: Karen Nesbitt, Subject to Change
Carte Blanche Prize: Domenico Martinello, Ferrante in the Cellar: A Vulgar Appreciation

2018

Fiction: Eliza Robertson, Demi-Gods
Non-fiction: Judi Rever, In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front
Poetry: Sina Queyras, My Ariel
First Book: Paige Cooper, Zolitude
Translation: Dominique Fortier, Hotel Lonely Hearts (Heather O'Neill, The Lonely Hearts Hotel)
Children's Literature: Anne Renaud, Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament
Carte Blanche Prize: Alisha Dukelow, "loss of (her)self"
Playwriting: Erin Shields, Paradise Lost

2019

Fiction: David Homel, The Teardown^[15]
Non-Fiction: Susan Doherty, The Ghost Garden^[15]
Poetry: Tess Liem, Obits^[15]
First Book: Lindsay Nixon, nîtisânak^[15]
Children's Literature: Raquel Rivera, Yipee's Gold Mountain^[15]
Carte Blanche Prize: Eliza Robertson, Aquanauts^[15]
Translation: Oana Avasilichioaei, The Faerie Devouring (Catherine Lalonde, La dévoration des fées)^[15]

2020

Fiction: Kaie Kellough, Dominoes at the Crossroads^[16]
Non-Fiction: Taras Grescoe, Possess the Air: Love, Heroism, and the Battle for the Soul of Mussolini's Rome^[16]
Poetry: Sarah Wolfson, A Common Name for Everything^[16]
First Book: Madelaine Caritas Longman, The Danger Model^[16]
Children's Literature: Marie-Louise Gay, The Three Brothers^[16]
Carte Blanche Prize: Alexei Perry Cox, "It's a Slow Ride"^[16]
Translation: Benoît Laflamme, Éclipse électrique (Melissa Bull, The Knockoff Eclipse)^[16]
Playwriting: Mishka Lavigne, Albumen^[16]
Judy Mappin Community Award: Jan Jorgensen

2021

Fiction: Mikhail Iossel, Love Like Water, Love Like Fire
Non-Fiction: Samir Shaheen-Hussain, Fighting for a Hand to Hold
Poetry: Sarah Venart, I Am the Big Heart
First Book: Samir Shaheen-Hussain, Fighting for a Hand to Hold
Children's Literature: Monique Polak, Room for One More
Carte Blanche Prize: Noa Padawer-Blatt, Tricks
Translation: Sarah Henzi, I Am a Damn Savage; What Have You Done to My Country? (An Antane-Kapesh, Je suis une maudite sauvagesse/Eukuan nin matshimanitu innu-iskueu and Tante nana etutamin mitassi? / Qu'as-tu fait de mon pays?)
Judy Mappin Community Award: H. Nigel Thomas and Richard King

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Montrealers win English Quebec literary awards". Montreal Gazette, November 5, 1988.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Three writers win QSPELL prizes". Montreal Gazette, November 4, 1989.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mark Abley, "Richler wins QSPELL award for epic novel". Montreal Gazette, November 17, 1990.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bryan Demchinsky, "Kenneth Radu wins MacLennan Prize; Look at suburban family life wins QSPELL's fiction award". Montreal Gazette, November 16, 1991.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Women win two of three QSPELLs: Naomi Guttman takes the poetry award". The Globe and Mail, November 30, 1992.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bryan Demchinsky, "Vehicule Press wins 2 QSPELL awards; Ralph Gustafson, 84, wins poetry prize from writers' group". Montreal Gazette, November 27, 1993.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Anglophone authors honoured in Quebec". The Globe and Mail, November 16, 1994.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bryan Demchinsky, "Second time lucky for non-fiction writer Foran at QSPELL awards". Montreal Gazette, November 18, 1995.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ray Conlogue, "Quebec honours anglo writers: Charles Foran, William Weintraub snag top QSPELL prizes". The Globe and Mail, December 6, 1997.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Barney bags another prize for Richler". Montreal Gazette, December 4, 1998.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bryan Demchinsky, "Book-end prizes for Bye Bye: Doubting author Gasco scores double honours". Montreal Gazette, November 30, 1999.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Grescoe a double-winner at Quebec writers' awards: Distinct-society analysis gets two English-language book prizes". Montreal Gazette, December 1, 2000.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Pat Donnelly, "Homel's novel wins at writers' gala". Montreal Gazette, November 27, 2003.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Quebec Writers' Federation hands out awards". The Globe and Mail, November 24, 2005.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Brendan Kelly, "Quebec Writers' Federation awards reflect booming local literary scene; Homel's The Teardown, Nixon's nîtisânak among work recognized at annual event". Montreal Gazette, November 6, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Ryan Porter, "Kaie Kellough wins Quebec Writers’ Federation’s fiction prize". Quill & Quire, November 5, 2020.

External links