Megan Gail Coles named artist of the year at ArtsNL awards
Bernice Morgan, author of Random Passage, receives Hall of Honour award
Megan Gail Coles, a writer whose debut novel, Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club, became a Canadian literary sensation, has been named ArtsNL's artist of the year.
Coles was named the winner Tuesday afternoon at a physically distanced ceremony held at the LSPU Hall in downtown St. John's.
The 2019 novel was a contender in the most recent Canada Reads competition, and was short-listed for the Giller Prize.
The book, set on a stormy winter's night in and around an upscale St. John's restaurant, circles around a set of characters who work there and their often dysfunctional relationships.
"I would especially like to thank the Great Northern Peninsula, the island of Newfoundland, who are responsible for my best and bad bits, whether they want to really acknowledge that sometimes or not," said Coles, who grew up in Savage Cove.
In a short speech, Coles also thanked her "friends and family, who put up with my antics during the creation period, which can sometimes be taxing for everyone."
Coles, who is also a playwright, won the 2019 BMO Winterset award for the novel. She won the same prize in 2014 for her short fiction collection Eating Habits of the Chronically Lonesome.
ArtsNL usually holds a gala for its annual awards ceremony. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a scaled-back ceremony was held on Tuesday afternoon, and live streamed over the internet.
Other winners of the 35th ArtsNL Awards included:
Danielle Irvine, a veteran theatrical director and the artistic director at the Perchance Theatre in Cupids, received the Artists' Achievement Award.
Emily Bridger, an actor, writer and director who has been making films in the St. John's area, received the CBC Emerging Artist Award.
WATCH | We prepared this video about nominees of the 2020 ArtsNL awards:
Joanna Barker, a singer-songwriter and a music teacher at the Mushuau Innu Natuashish School, received the Arts in Education Award.
David Hood, a retired chartered accountant who has volunteered his time for numerous arts organizations, including Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, the Bonavista Biennale, St. Michael's Print Shop, MusicNL and the Garrick Theatre, received the Patron of the Arts Award.
Bernice Morgan, the bestselling author of Random Passage and many other books, received the Hall of Honour Award.
"I am deeply, deeply honoured to be here today," said Morgan, who thanked the artists who came before her for inspiration, as well as for public support of the arts and the library system she credited for nourishing her mind.