David Chariandy, James Maskalyk, Louise Bernice Halfe among 2017 Writers' Trust Award winners

The 2017Writers' Trust Awards were announced on Nov. 14, 2017in Toronto. The prizes, which include honours for individual works and bodies of work, come with a combined purse of $260,000.

The winners were:

• Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize:Brother by David Chariandy
• Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction:Life on the Ground Floor by James Maskalyk
• Writers' Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize:Butter Tea at Starbucksby Sharon Bala
• Latner's Writers' Trust Poetry Prize:Louise Bernice Halfe
• Matt Cohen Award:Diane Schoemperlen
• Writers' Trust Engel/FindleyAward: Billie Livingston
• Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People:Ruby Slipperjack

Vancouver-based writer DavidChariandyreceived theRogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for Brother, a coming-of-age story about two brothers, the sons of Trinidadian immigrants, in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. Theprize money was doubled to $50,000 for 2017.

The jury,comprised of Tracey Lindberg, Michael Christie and Christy Ann Conlin, chose the book from 141 titles submitted by publishers. They praisedChariandy'ssophomore novelfor its "stunning lyrical writing, pitch perfect pacingand unexpected humour."

• How David Chariandy brought his novel Brother to life

Chariandy'snovel was among a list of finalists that includedLeanne Betasamosake Simpson's collection of stories and poemsThis Accident of Being Lost,Carleigh Baker for the short story collectionBad Endings, Claire Cameron for the novelThe Last Neanderthaland OmarEl Akkad for thenovelAmerican War.$5,000 will go to each of the four remaining finalists.

Toronto author and doctorJames Maskalykwon the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize,the annual $60,000 prizethat recognizes the best Canadian nonfiction,for his memoirLife on the Ground Floor. The bookchronicles the chaos of an inner city Toronto emergency roomand the challenges of establishing an emergency medical facility in Addis Ababa.

The remaining finalists included CBC host Carol Off for All WeLeave Behind,Ivan Coyote forTomboy Survival Guide, Kyo Maclear forBirds Art LifeandTanyaTalagaforSeven Fallen Feathers.

"[Maskalyk]reveals compelling universal truths about the power, and limits, of medicine 'life caring for itself,' as he defines it the strength of human will, and the fragile, infinitesimal gap between dying and living,"the jury,comprised of Susan Harada, Arno Kopecky, and Siobhan Roberts, said in a statement.

• Why JamesMaskalykwanted to explore the human side of emergency medicine

Louise Bernice Halfereceived the Latner's Writers' Trust Poetry Prize,which awards $25,000 to a writer with an exceptional body of work in the field of poetry. The Saskatoon-based poet's body of work features four collectionswhich draw on experiences such as the author's time spent within a residential school and her response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her most recent collection is Burning in this Midnight Dream.

• 'Read, read, read.' The advice Louise Bernice Halfe would give to her younger self

Diane Schoemperlen won the $25,000 Matt Cohen Award, which recognizes a writer for their lifetime contribution to Canadian literature. TheKingston, Ont.-based author has written more than a dozen books, including the memoir This Is Not My Lifeand the novelsThe Man of My Dreams andOur Lady of the Lost and Found.

• 'Just write.' The advice Diane Schoemperlen would give to aspiring writers

Billie Livingstontook home the Writers' Trust Engel/FindleyAward. The$25,000 prize isgiven to a mid-career writer in recognition of a "remarkable body of work." The Vancouver-based authoris a novelist, essayist and poet and her work includes the novelsGoing Down Swinging andOne Good Hustle.

• Billie Livingston on why all writers need to know their own truth

Ruby Slipperjack of Thunder Bay, Ont., won the $25,000 Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People. Slipperjack'sthree decades of work for young readers portrays the traditional religious and social customs of theAnishinabein northern Ontario. Her latest book is Dear Canada: These Are My Words.

• What would children's writer Ruby Slipperjack tell her younger self?

SharonBalaof St. John's, N.L., won the Writers' Trust/McClelland& Stewart Journey Prize for her short storyButter Tea atStarbucks,which explores the conflict between Tibet and China through the lens of a new baby, an interracial marriage and an office rivalry. The $10,000 prize recognizes the best work of short fiction published that year in a Canadian literary magazine.

The 2017Writers' Trust Awards, hosted by Nick Mount, author of Arrival: The Story of CanLit,were presented at a gala event in Toronto.