A conversation with Winterset winner Don McKay

Don McKay — the winner of the 2011 BMO Winterset Award — spoke with Weekend Arts Magazine host Mack Furlong about his book The Shell of the Tortoise.

The Winterset celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing. The award was presented last week at a ceremony at Government House in St. John’s. It comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

The two other finalists were Edward Riche for Easy to Like and Mark Callanan for Gift Horse. They each got $2,500.

The Winterset is Atlantic Canada’s richest literary prize, and one of the richest regional awards in Canada.

The Shell of the Tortoise was one of 39 works by Newfoundland and Labrador authors (either native-born or resident) that were submitted by publishers from across the country.

Books in any genre published in 2011 were eligible. The jury consisted of Noreen Golfman, Kevin Major, and Lisa Moore.

The BMO Winterset Award honours the memory of Sandra Fraser Gwyn, a St. John’s-born social historian and prize-winning author. Her husband, journalist and author Richard Gwyn, established the award in 2000.