Necessaries and Sufficiencies, Planter Society in Londonderry, Onslow and Truro Townships, 1761-1780 (CBU Press) was also shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award for non-fiction. Wrapping up a week of readings across the region, the Atlantic Book Awards ceremony was held before a packed house at the legendary LSPU Hall in downtown St. John’s.

A second CBU Press book, Frank Macdonald’s A Possible Madness was a finalist for the Dartmouth Book Award.

“The Language of this Land is a stimulating, enlightening book well worth reading and studying. The once shattered mirror of Mi’kmaw history has been rendered clearer and we begin to see the true value of that legacy.”

The honour was bestowed upon Frank at the organization’s annual dinner on Saturday, May 12, in Halifax.

Frank, whose second novel A Possible Madness is shorlisted for an Atlantic Book Award, has been a featured author during the awards festival week, and will give a solo reading at the legendary LSPU Hall in St. John’s on May 16 (12-1 p.m.). The Atalantic Book Awards gala will take place May 17, also at the LSPU.

ACNA is a non-profit membership organization that represents over 70 newspapers with a combined circulation of more than 560,000 newspapers in Atlantic Canada. By working with industry stakeholders, Newspapers Atlantic provides relevant services to all newspaper members, while increasing the profile and effectiveness of the newspaper industry in Atlantic Canada.

Congratulations Frank and best of luck in St. John’s!

Are you a writer looking for motivation, trying to find your muse, and up for a good walk? Then why not join us for the first ever Coxheath Mountaintop Writer’s Workshop. It’s a day-long event in which you’ll get to push yourself both physically and mentally. The cabin is located at the top of Coxheath Hills Wilderness Trail in a scenic wooded area on the outskirts of Sydney. We’re inviting writers of all levels and styles with a good pair of sneakers to spend the entire day dedicated to writing and thinking about writing. You can try poetry, drama, fiction, non-fiction, whatever interests you; and you can do it without worrying about the kids, partners, work, or who’s going to cook dinner, because we’ll do that for you.

Many see writing as an uphill climb and we’re bringing that metaphor to life. We’ll take our time climbing one step at a time and work on finding inspiration in the unlikeliest of settings. So if you want to set aside a day devoted to getting words from the woods onto paper, don’t mind a bit of physical activity, enjoy the company of like-minded people, and want to be part of something different, join us for some genuine Cape Breton cabin fever on June 23.

June 23 – 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Cost $50. Food included Maximum number of participants: 10 Facilitators, cooks, and guides both on and off the page: Paul MacDougall, Ken Chisholm & Steven Rolls
Register online at: http://www.moosebait.com/cabinfever/

Further information:

paul_macdougall@cbu.ca

564-1066

Frank Macdonald will also be featured at Monday’s (May 14) event. His A Possible Madness is shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award. Frank will give a solo reading (a high honour) on Wednesday, May 16 (12 noon) at the famed LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street (just off Duckworth) in downtown St. John’s. The LSPU Hall is the venue for the 2012 Atlantic Book Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 17, hosted by Newfoundland comedienne Amy House, and including a performance by Andy Jones.

Best of luck Frank, Carol and Jim. And thanks for putting your trust in CBU Press.

The review goes on to say, “It should serve as a model for other in-depth historical studies … that enlighten those of us not content with cursory knowledge of our past.”

In March, a Chronicle Herald review by Margaret Conrad called the book a “…splendid tribute … to the 250th anniversary [2011] of the arrival of the Planters….”

Necessaries and Sufficiencies is shortlisted for two Atlantic Book Awards to be handed out on May 17 in St. John’s.

“The authors make a strong plea for the need for the language and accompanying culture to survive, not as a relic or a curiosity, but as an important part of the present-day world.”

“From this point of view [the book] has much to suggest, even advise … whether it be the Acadians of the Maritimes and Louisiana or the Ainu of Northern Japan. Preservation of a language, way of life and beliefs, whether conscious or not, parallels the preservation of a species of animals. Knowledge of both widens our world-view and sympathies. Thus this short book should be widely read – all over Canada and much further.”

“The Language of this Land seems not only a unique book, but one which will open new horizons to all who read it. Highly recommended.”

Link here to CBC Information Morning, Halifax, click on “archives” and scroll down to March 29, 2012, to listen to interview…

Here for CBC Main Street, Sydney, click on “archives” and scroll down to March 27, 2012, to listen to the interview…

Link here to CTV Atlantic Morning (Breakfast Television) and scroll “news videos” for March 29…

Sydney, March 21, 2012 –When the Atlantic Book Awards take the stage in St. John’s, NL, on May 17, two Cape Breton books will be competing with some of the largest publishing houses in the region for three prizes. Both books were published by Cape Breton University Press in 2011.

Inverness writer Frank Macdonald’s 2011 novel, A Possible Madness is shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award for fiction. This is Macdonald’s second trip to the awards. His first novel A Forest for Calum was also shortlisted for the Dartmouth.

A Possible Madness is the story of the fictional town of Shean, a small town of depleted resources and shrinking population. The lengths that civic leaders go to in order to do “what’s best” for a town like Shean has unintended consequences, including the threat of environmental degradation.

Colchester County historians Carol Campbell and James Smith are shortlisted for two awards: the Dartmouth Book Award for non-fiction and the Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing, for their book about 18th-century Planter society in the district of Cobequid.

Necessaries and Sufficiencies: Planter Society in Londonderry, Onslow and Truro, 1761-1780, is a social political, cultural and material micro history of 18th-century daily life in the district of Cobequid, now part of Colchester County. Last year (2011) marked 250 years since the coming of New England and Irish Planters to Nova Scotia.

The 2012 Atlantic Book Awards and Festival takes place May 10-17 with readings and events in all four Atlantic provinces, culminating with the awards celebration at the famed LSPU Hall in St. John’s on Thursday, May 17.