Local author wins award at Kootenay Literary Competition
By Shara JJ Cooper
The Kootenay Literacy Competition (KLC) awards were handed on March 14 in Nelson. Of the award winners was a local resident.
Leslie Davidson from Grand Forks won in the Adult Creative Non-Fiction category, along with Graham Kenyon of Rossland. Davidson won for her short story “Hold On.”
The winners were given their awards at the gala on the 14th and hear from the judges about the types of entries. According to a press release from the KLC, the judges felt there was a high calibre of entrants this year. The KLC continues to grow and draw in entrants from across the region.
There were five categories with two winners in each category. The winners were awarded as follows:
Youth Grades 7-9: Hannah Klemmensen (Rossland) for “Midnight Hangout” and Zoey Lowe (Golden) for “The Cold.”
Youth Grades 10-12: James Havelock Turner (Nelson) for “Giu Andare” and Emily Hoff (Ymir) for “A New Reality.”
Adult Fiction: Eli Geddis (Nelson) for “Ninety Corn Dogs and a Porcupine” and Roz Nay (Nelson) with “The Innocence.”
Adult Creative Non-Fiction: Leslie Davidson (Grand Forks) for Hold On and Graham Kenyon (Rossland) for “Salvation.”
Adult Poetry: Jordan Mounteer (Winlaw) for “Helical” and Cheryl Thornton (Salmo) for “Grief is a Strange Companion.”
The Richard Carver Award, to honour an emerging local writer, went to Nelson poet Jane Byers. Carver was a key member of the Nelson and District Arts Council (NDAC), and the award is a partnership between NDAC and the KLC, and the winner was chosen with support of the Kootenay Library Federation.
The winning stories were compiled into an anthology that is available at Pedallers’ Place on Market Avenue in Grand Forks. Pedallers’ Place is selling the books for $7.
