‘Indian Horse’ makes short list

TORONTO — “Indian Horse”, the dramatic novel by Anishinabek News columnist Richard Wagamese, is among the five short-listed titles for the 10th anniversary celebrations of the First Nations Communities Read project.

The five titles selected by the jury for the 2013-2014 program are:

• Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, Douglas & McIntyre Vancouver, 2012

•  Motorcycles and Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor, Vintage Canada, 2011

• Nobody Cries at BINGO by Dawn Dumont, Thistledown Press, 2011

• A stranger at home: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Pokiak-Fenton with artwork by Liz Amini-Holmes, Annick Press, 2011

• Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson with illustrations by Scott B. Henderson, Highwater Press, 2011

“These titles are strong stories told in voices and styles that make for appealing reading,” says the First Nation Communities Read jury.

The jury, made up of librarians from First Nation public libraries in Ontario, initially considered more than 35 submissions before settling on a long list of 22 titles from 18 publishers. The announcement of 2013-2014 First Nation Communities Read title selection for 2013-2014 will coincide with National Aboriginal History Month and National Aboriginal Day celebrations in June.

The First Nation Communities Read program is the Ontario First Nation public library community’s contribution to the popular community reading movement. Through its featured Aboriginal titles, First Nation Communities Read encourages family literacy and intergenerational storytelling, and promotes the publication, sharing, and understanding of Aboriginal voices and experiences.

The 2013-2014 First Nation Communities Read submissions call was for books for adults and young adults. The focus of the First Nation Communities Read program alternates annually between books for children and books for adults and young adults. The 2012-2013 selection was Shannon and the Dream for a School written by Janet Wilson and published by Second Story Press.

For more information about First Nation Communities Read, contact:

Patty Lawlor, First Nations Consultant                                        Telephone: 416-961-1669, Ext. 5108

Southern Ontario Library Service                                                E-mail:        plawlor@sols.org

Website: www.sols.org

First Nation Communities Read acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for this project.