SFU alumni acknowledged for their contribution to Canadian literature
By Monica Miller
Photo courtesy of Lisa Hartley
Anakana Schofield is an alumnus of the Writers’ Studio at SFU, and her first novel Malarky is receiving praise and being called an “experimental format.” Schofield calls into question this label of “experimental,” instead calling her book an “episodic fragmentary work.”
But something seems to be working, because Schofield says she’s “been so touched and impressed by word of mouth . . . people who read it and really respond to it.”
The novel centres on Our Woman, an Irish widow dealing with the loss of both her son and her husband. The label of “experimental” is probably due to the non-traditional novel format with changing point of view from first person to third, to omniscient as well as a non-linear construction.
“I’m interested in language — the line, paragraph, sentence, words — and my approach to narrative is the extrapolation of a single moment. You can come to it and read it backwards, sideways, I’m not worried.” She compares finding the right form for the story to “trying on cardigans.” Playing with tenses and internal rhythm is something that intrigues her as a writer.
The format may be non-traditional, but Schofield feels that the linear story “being served up on a platter” does “nothing for me as a reader and writer.” This does lead some readers to question Schofield about the ending of the novel, but she explains she “left it open-ended intentionally” and “didn’t want narratives that tie up in neat little bundles because lives don’t do that.”
Malarky has been shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and although Schofield mentions she is “fortunate with this book to get attention,” she is also “quite critical of prize culture.”
This is ironic, because Malarky has been making best of lists across North America since it was published last year, including being shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. Schofield feels that prizes and best of lists are driving how we read, “squeezing into boxes of awards and shortlists” and limiting the number of voices heard.
“Readers have power — much more than they realize — to affect books,” attests Schofield, citing that seeking out, buying, and reading books that aren’t well known not only broadens the readers’ horizons, but it also affects the market.
Anakana Schofield is currently working on a “footnote novel” featuring a very minor character from Malarky, named Beruit. While tr ying to write Malarky, a process that took 10 years, Schofield inadvertently wrote another book or three. This footnote novel is a parallel narrative, and even more fragmental and darker than Malarky, “if that’s even possible,” she laughs.
Also receiving multiple award accolades is Sandra Djwa, professor emeritus in the Department of English at SFU. Her book, Journey with No Maps: A Life of PK Page, has been shortlisted for the Hubert Evans NonFiction Prize. PK Page invited Sandra to write the biography in the late 1990s and they conducted many interviews, resulting in a plethora of information. Unfortunately, PK Page passed away in January 2010 at the age of 93, but Sandra had the permission of her estate to publish the biography.
“Biographers have to choose what to put in when the subject matter is sensitive, and what to leave out when there is too much [information] or subject constraints,” explains Djwa, who stated that she was fortunate there was a great deal of material and she had the opportunity to consult with PK about the book.
Unfortunately, Kate Bird did not encounter the same ease while helping research Making Headlines: 100 Years of The Vancouver Sun for author Shelley Fralic. Bird explains that The Vancouver Sun archives has so many different clippings about businesses, but not The Vancouver Sun’s own corporate history.
“We didn’t really write about ourselves, so we really had to dredge up the work.” This also meant that there was no photo of the original owner of the paper, J.P. McConnell, in their archives. Fortunately, a family descendent of McConnell found and donated a photo.
Making Headlines: 100 Years of the Vancouver Sun is shortlisted for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award, which is distinct from the other shortlists where three judges vote on their lists. With the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award, booksellers across British Columbia submit their votes on the titles that readers are seeking out.
Bird is the research librarian for The Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers. She says that her background in fine arts and art history meant that she was always interested in images and art collections, so when The Vancouver Sun wanted to create a database of their image collection in 1990, it was a perfect fit. She’s worked at both newspapers since then, and helps reporters research their daily stories, longer features, departmental requests and public queries through InfoLine. She also collaborates with galleries and art exhibits such as the current exhibit entitled NEWS! at Presentation House’s Satellite Gallery downtown.
Kate Bird is a graduate of the Writers’ Studio under mentor Stephen Osbourne, with a focus on non-fiction. She has already written her own manuscript and completed a Manuscript Intensive with Betsy Warland, so perhaps her own book will be on award lists soon.
The winners of the BC Book Prizes will be announced May 4, 2013 at the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Prize Gala, an award celebration in Victoria. On April 10 at Joe’s Apartment, the BC Book Prize Soiree will celebrate the shortlisted authors. Then, the BC Book Prizes On Tour will kick off, touring select authors around the province to visit schools, bookstores, and libraries in various communities.
