Eating Dirt picked up a B.C. Book Prize–aka the Hubert Evans nonfiction prize–last Saturday night. Here’s the news coverage. I was at a family wedding and couldn’t make it, but the award was received by my impeccably stylish and gracious editor, Nancy Flight. Here the acceptance:

I’m so honoured to have my book selected for this year’s Hubert Evans Prize shortlist. I’m doubly happy because Eating Dirt is a quintessentially B.C. book: it takes as its subject our landscape, its natural history and our timber economy. Also its hardworking people, a few thousand of whom head out the forests every year to plant trees. Recognition is especially rewarding when it comes from the place you call home. And so it’s with no small amount of regret that I can’t share this evening with you all.

There are some exceptional books on this shortlist. I’ve had the pleasure of reading a few of them, and I look forward to opening the covers of those I’ve not yet had a chance to peruse. Thanks are owed to the jury, who gave generously of their time in order to read all the submitted titles. I owe a giant debt of gratitude to everyone at Greystone Books and Douglas & McIntyre—in particular, Nancy Flight, my editor, and Rob Sanders, Founding Publisher at Greystone, for their faith and guidance. I’d like to thank the David Suzuki Foundation for their support and for their work in the fields of environmental advocacy and education. They remind us that the rainforests of home are not only visually stunning but also a global treasure to be cherished. Thank you.

Highway 16, here we come. The BC Book Prizes are on tour in Northern BC in late April. I’ll be reading with Pamela Porter. Come on out. Maybe you can tell me where to get one of those “No Pipelines” t-shirts:

TERRACE Wednesday, April 25
Terrace Public Library | 7:00 pm
4610 Park Avenue | 250.638.8177

PRINCE RUPERT Thursday, April 26
Museum of Northern BC | 4:00 pm
100 – 1 Avenue West | 250.624.3207

BURNS LAKE Friday, April 27
Burns Lake Public Library | 6:00 pm
585 Government Street | 250.692.3192

PRINCE GEORGE Saturday, April 28
Books & Company | 5:00 pm
1685 – 3rd Avenue | 250.563.6637

FORT ST. JAMES Sunday, April 29
Fort St. James Public Library | 2:00 pm
425 Manson Street | 250.996.7431

QUESNEL Monday, April 30
CRD Library, Quesnel Branch | 7:00 pm
101 – 410 Kinchant Street | 250.992.7912

SMITHERS Tuesday, May 1
Smithers Public Library | 7:00 pm
3817 Alfred Avenue | 250.847.3043

KITIMAT Wednesday, May 2
Kitimat Public Library | 7:00 pm
940 Wakashan Avenue | 250.632.8985

All these events are free and open to the public.

Sea-to-Sky people, I’ll be in your neck of the woods next week, reading and/or giving the trusty slideshow at your friendly neighbourhood libraries.

April 17: Pemberton Public Library, 7pm.

April 18: Whistler Public Library, 7pm.

April 19: Squamish Public Library, 6:30pm.

For a sneak peek at the slideshow, have a browse through the photos in the gallery. There will be book sales and signing after the events. Please come say hi!

There are more new photos in the gallery. We’re developing quite a collection. These ones were sent in by Callah McCarroll.

Callah’s photos come from a place close to any old vet’s heart, the B.C. coast. It’s where the planting season starts first, as early as January or February. Given the mountainous terrain and the rainforest climate, the coastal plant can be soggy, foggy, steep and deep. It makes for interesting commutes, as these images so beautifully show.

Well, Eating Dirt holds fast at #1 on the Vancouver Sun bestseller list, where it’s lived between #1 and #10 for the last four months. Big, giant, sloppy thanks to all the good people out there who’ve read it, passed it around, put it in their kids’ Christmas stockings, and left it at their friend’s houses. Without you I’m just a wastrel of perfectly good tree fibre. Without you, in fact, I’m nothing.

I can hardly remember everything that’s happened since Eating Dirt came out. Miles of driving, the hoisting of boxes filled with books, the plugging in of slide projectors, the consumption of much coffee, gum and energy bars, the wheeling of suitcases, the charging of devices in departure lounges, the typing of emails, the ironing of clothes, the fulfilling of the day job in the wee hours of morning. All of it has been wonderful, heady, and abundant.

One of the best parts has been traveling around and meeting people at readings and events. On the road I’m often given wonderful gifts that I surely don’t deserve. They come in the mail, too. Here are some:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book on the left is from Harold Macy on Vancouver Island. Rooted Lives is a documentary about tree-planters. It was sent to me by Laura Wilimovsky, and you can watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, another great book that came in the mail, from Washington poet and editor Finn Wilcox. Thanks Finn! The book on the right is mine, lovingly gnawed by Olive the dog. Good work, Olive!