TouchWood Editions is pleased to announce that Cedar and Salt by DL Acken and Emily Lycopolus, and A Year on the Wild Side by Briony Penn have been shortlisted for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. The announcement was made March 12.
Cedar and Salt: Vancouver Island Recipes from Forest, Farm, Field and Sea by DL Acken and Emily Lycopolus has been shortlisted for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award, which, according to the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, is presented to both the publisher and authors of the best book in terms of public appeal, initiative, design, production, and content. Featuring more than 100 homegrown, modern recipes that showcase the most treasured local ingredients from Vancouver Island’s unique and beloved terroirs, Cedar and Salt is a thoughtfully curated, beautifully photographed cookbook that puts the taste of Vancouver Island on a pedestal and then brings it to your plate. This is the first cookbook Acken and Lycopolus have co-authored, and the seventh they have collaborated on.
In the competition for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award, Cedar and Salt was shortlisted alongside Voices from the Skeena by Robert Budd and Roy Henry Vickers, Vancouver After Dark by Aaron Chapman, Indigenous Relations by Bob Joseph, and I Saw Three Ships by Bill Richardson. The winning publisher and author will receive $3,000 to share between them.
A Year on the Wild Side: A West Coast Naturalist’s Almanac by Briony Penn has been shortlisted for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize, which recognizes the author of the book that contributes most to the enjoyment and understanding of BC. A Year on the Wild Side is a witty commentary on the social and natural history of Vancouver Island, and a funny weekly chronicle that offers a year-long, intimate view of the flora and fauna populating the West Coast. Composed of short, readable essays arranged into twelve monthly chapters, it reveals the magic and humour of the natural world and reminds us of our place within it. Penn has authored six books, all of which focus on natural history, environmentalists, and environmental issues.
For the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize, A Year on the Wild Side was shortlisted alongside Greenwood by Michael Christie, The Great Bear Rainforest by Ian McAllister and Alex Van Tol, At the Bridge by Wendy Wickwire, and Carpe Fin by Michael Niholl Yahgulanaas. The winning author will receive $3000.
The winners for these and six other awards will be announced at the BC and Yukon Book Prizes Gala on Saturday, April 25 at the Pan Pacific in Vancouver. For more information, please visit bcbookprizes.ca.