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Canadian Authors Association

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The Canadian Authors Association is Canada's oldest association for writers and authors.[1] The organization has published several periodicals, organized local chapters and events for Canadian writers, and sponsors writing awards, including the Governor General's Awards.

History

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The Canadian Authors Association was founded in 1921. The founding organizers included John Murray Gibbon, Bernard Keble Sandwell, Stephen Leacock, and Pelham Edgar.[2] By the end of its first year the organization had more than 700 members.[3]

In its early years the association was known for its conservative views on literature and its support of traditional writing genres,[4] including colourful idealized stories in quaint local settings.[5] Local chapters of the CAA organized activities to encourage and develop the skills of Canadian writers, including study groups, readings, and workshops.[6]

In 1919, the CAA founded a magazine, Canadian Bookman.[7][8] In 1936, the association founded Canadian Poetry, edited by E. J. Pratt.[9]

The Canadian Authors Association discussed the idea of awards with Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir (1935-1940) who approved the use of the name of his office in the establishment of the Governor General's Awards in 1936, the first ones being awarded in 1937. They remain Canada's highest literary award, as well as the Canadian Authors Association Awards.[10][1]

Notable presidents

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  • Will R. Bird (c. 1949–1950), writer, author, recipient of Ryerson Fiction Award[11]
  • W. G. Hardy (1950–1952), Professor of Classics at University of Alberta, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Member of the Order of Canada[12]

Awards

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The Canadian Authors Awards, originally known as Canadian Authors Association or CAA Awards and now occasionally called Literary Awards, were created in 1975 to fill in for the Governor General’s medals, as these were overtaken by the Canada Council for the Arts, and were presented in multiple categories to authors who are Canadian born or permanent residents.[1] The following is an incomplete list of winners of the award, originally given out in three categories (fiction, poetry and drama), before the category Canadian History and the Emerging Writer Award were added in 1997 and 2006. After 2017 all categories were discontinued and replaced by the Canadian Authors Fred Kerner Award, which had already been accoladed the first time in 2016.[13][14]

CAA Award for Fiction (1975–2017)
CAA Award for Poetry (1975–2017)
CAA Award for Canadian History (1997–2017)
CAA Emerging Writer Award (2006–2017)
CAA Award for Drama (1975–prior 2017)
Canadian Authors Fred Kerner Award

References

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  1. ^ a b c John Lennox (December 16, 2013). "Canadian Authors Association". Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  2. ^ Harrington, Lyn (1981). Syllables of Recorded Time: The Story of the Canadian Authors Association, 1921–1981. Dundurn. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-0-88924-112-1. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  3. ^ "Some Canadian authors", The Glengarry News, November 25, 1921. from the Glengarry Archives website
  4. ^ Reingard M. Nischik (2008). History of Literature in Canada: English-Canadian and French-Canadian. Camden House. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-1-57113-359-5.
  5. ^ "The Modern-Realistic Movement in English-Canadian Literature". page 6. Colin Hill, Department of English McGill University, Montreal, April 8, 2003
  6. ^ W.G. Fleming (December 15, 1972). Educational Contributions of Associations: Ontario's Educative Society. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 251–252. ISBN 978-1-4875-9706-1.
  7. ^ William H. New (2002). Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. University of Toronto Press. p. 566. ISBN 978-0-8020-0761-2. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  8. ^ W.H. New; William Herbert New (August 6, 2003). A History of Canadian Literature. McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-7735-2597-9.
  9. ^ "Men of the Cloth and the Book: E.J. Pratt and Lorne Pierce". by Cheryl Cundell, Queen's University
  10. ^ See article by Irvine, Professor Andrew: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/bsc/article/view/22260/18075 accessed June 15, 2024. See also: Irvine, Andrew, The Governor General's Literary Awards of Canada: A Bibliography, University of Ottawa Press, Ottawa, Canada, 2018
  11. ^ "Heads Authors' Association". Lethbridge Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta. July 4, 1950. p. 16.Free access icon
  12. ^ Trimmer, Bob (September 21, 1963). "Prof. George Hardy: Author-Educationist". Lethbridge Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta. p. 5.Free access icon
  13. ^ Canadian Authors Association Award Winners on goodreads.com, retrieved April 22, 2020
  14. ^ About the Awards on canadianauthors.org, retrieved April 22, 2020
  15. ^ "Previous Winners". Canadian Authors Association. December 3, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  16. ^ CAA winners 2015
  17. ^ CAA winners 2016
  18. ^ Wheaton at Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
  19. ^ "2020 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner". Canadian Authors. October 9, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  20. ^ "2021 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner". Canadian Authors. July 16, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "2022 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner and Shortlist". Canadian Authors. June 9, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  22. ^ "2023 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner and Shortlist". Canadian Authors. June 24, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "2024 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner and Shortlist". Canadian Authors. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
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