The two selected title authors will be the recipients of the PMC Indigenous Literature Award generously sponsored by our partners of 11 years, the Periodical Marketers of Canada. The selected authors will receive a $5000 cash prize. More information can be found on the FNCR website at www.fncr.ca
Selected Title in the Children’s Category
Freddie the Flyer
By Fred Carmichael and Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail
Published by Tundra Books
Fred Carmichael is Gwich’in from Aklavik, NWT. He was the very first Indigenous commercial pilot from the Canadian Arctic. He has spent over 60 years in northern aviation and is a well-known entrepreneur, search and rescue pilot, and mentor. He is a member of the Order of Canada and the Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. He is an Inspire Award laureate. He lives in Inuvik.
Freddie the Flyer When he was ten years old, Freddie got to touch a plane for the first time. From then on, his heart has been in the air. This gorgeous picture book follows the months of the year as the reader learns all about Freddie’s career as a pilot. Each month, shown in the Gwich’in and Inuvialuktun languages, follows highlights from Freddie’s early life and throughout his career. A glossary shows the pronunciation of each month as well as it’s meaning to the Gwich’in and the Inuvialuit peoples.
Selected Title in the Young Adult/Adult Category
And Then She Fell
by Alicia Elliott
Published by Doubleday Canada
Alicia Elliott is a Mohawk writer and editor living in Brantford, Ontario. A prolific writer, Alicia is a National Magazine Award winner. Her short fiction was selected for The Best American Short Stories in 2018. Alicia was chosen by Tanya Talaga as the 2018 recipient of the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award. Her first book won the Forest of Reading Evergreen Award.
And Then She Fell tells the story of Alice, a new mother and writer who is starting to experience things that can’t be explained. She seems to have it all, but why is she losing bits of time and hearing voices? It soon becomes apparent to her that the writing she needs to finish, a modern retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story, is the key to her and daughter’s survival. Can she finish it in time?
Periodical Marketers of Canada The Periodical Marketers of Canada PMC Indigenous Literature Award is inspired by the goals of the First Nation Communities READ program. It will provide each of the authors of the First Nation Communities READ 2024-2025 title selections with a cash prize. This is the 11th year the Periodical Marketers of Canada has presented The PMC Indigenous Literature Award.
First Nation Communities READ was launched in 2003 by the First Nations Public Library Community in Ontario with support from the Ontario Library Service. FNCR celebrates and promotes the importance of Indigenous literature across Canada. The program encourages family literacy, intergenerational storytelling as well and intergenerational knowledge transmission.
Ontario Library Service (OLS) is mandated to deliver programs and services on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming:
- increasing cooperation and coordination among public library boards and other information providers to promote the provision of library service to the public;
- assisting Public Library boards and First Nation public libraries by providing them with services and programs that meet their needs, including consultation, training, and development.
For more information about First Nation Communities READ and the Ontario Library Service, contact:
Nancy Cooper | First Nation Consultant | Ontario Library Service | ncooper@olservice.ca | 647-264-7342
Periodical Marketers of Canada is the national association of magazine and book wholesalers serving thousands of retail newsstands across Canada. Founded in 1942, PMC’s ongoing activities include funding of a nonprofit charitable foundation, the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters, which makes contributions to individuals and agencies engaged in the encouragement of literacy and reading in Canada.
For more information about Periodical Marketers of Canada, contact:
Barry Francis | Periodical Marketers of Canada | barryfrancis@sympatico.ca | 416-447-7908 | Cell: 416-876-3204
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for this project.
The Support of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming is gratefully acknowledged.