This year's list of nominees for the Ontario Trillium Book Awards includes a Windsor author and a local publisher.
D.A. Lockhart is a registered member of the Moravian of the Thames First Nation in Chatham-Kent who lives in Windsor. His book, North of Middle Island, is nominated in the English-language category.
The book, published by Kegedonce Press, includes an epic poem retelling the myth of how Deerwoman (Ahtuhxkwe) arrived on Pelee Island, based loosely on the experiences of pro wrestler and actor Rowdy Roddy Piper's time on the island.
Also nominated in the English-language category, Sleep is Now a Foreign Country: Encounters with the Uncanny by Mike Barnes. Biblioasis, in Windsor, published the novel.
The memoir recounts Barnes' experience as a 22-year-old man on a roadside between Dachau and Munich in the summer of 1977. It tells the story of the dawn of a psychic break the author anticipated his entire life.
The Literary Review of Canada said, "Daredevils interested in a bold and singular literary experiment may want to tackle this knotty mind-bender."
Three other works were named finalists in the category.
Five books got the nod in the French-language category, and three were named finalists for Poetry in English.
Winners will be announced on June 20. Authors who win the award will receive $20,000, while publishers will get $2,500 for the marketing and promotion of the titles.
The Trillium Book Award is in its 37th year.