B.C. writer Susan Cormier wins 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize for essay about 'magic' of beekeeping

Susan Cormierhas won the2022CBC Nonfiction Prizefor her essayAdvice to a New Beekeeper.

She will receive$6,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand will also attend a writing residency at theBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Cormier'sessay was published onCBC Books. You can readAdvice to a New Beekeeperhere.

Mtis writer Cormier works in print, performance and film. By day, she is a beekeeper and co-owner of C.R. Apiary in Langley, B.C. By night, she is the producer of Vancouver Story Slam.

She wroteAdvice to a New Beekeeperbecause she wanted people interested in beekeeping to be awarethat honeybees require knowledgeable, dedicated and hands-on care. For Cormier, this piecewas an attempt to convey some of the things that a beekeeper won't learnfrom books and videos.

• How Susan Cormier wrote the essay that won the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize

"The right person to keep bees is someone who's interested in learning that magic, not someone who thinks bees are magical fairy creatures that you can sit back and be like, 'Whoa, they're so good for the ecology.' Alot of the conversations I have in my head when I'm working with the bees revolve around trying to summarize that,"Cormier said in an interview withCBC Books.

The 2022CBC Nonfiction Prizejurors wereJenna Butler, Sharon Butala andMarcello Di Cintio.

The jury selected the winner and theshortlist from alonglist of 31 writersthat was compiled bya team of writers and editors from across Canada.

"A polished piece that seamlessly blends scientific fact and lyric prose, Advice to a New Beekeeper catches the reader's attention from the opening line. The writer navigates the terminology of the hive with familiar skill and not a word out of place, in much the same way as the bees are carefully deployed to various essential tasks within the workings of a colony. Intelligent, imaginative and utterly gorgeous,Advice to a New Beekeeper captivates throughout," the jury said in a statement.

LISTEN: Susan Cormierreads her winning essay

Theother four finalists are Cayenne Bradley of Victoria forYour House, Kerissa Dickieof Fort Nelson, B.C.,forSeh Woo, My Teeth, Y. S. Lee of Kingston, Ont., forTek Tekand Jane Ozkowski of Bloomfield, Ont., forStorkatorium. They will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts.

Cormier's winning essaywas selected from over 1,700 entries.

"The CBC Nonfiction Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for short-form writing in the country; I am thrilled to have been selected," Cormier told CBC Books.

"The fact that 12 adjudicators chose my writing out of thousands for the longlist is wonderful. And the fact that the three final judges, all of whom are esteemed authors, named me as the winner is even more so."

LISTEN: Susan Cormier speaks about her winning essay on On The Coast

Cormier was particularly thrilled that one of the judges, Jenna Butler, is also a beekeeper. Butler's memoirRevery: A Year of Bees was a finalistfor the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction.

"I treasure the fact that one of the final judges is herself a respected beekeeper. It is one thing to write with confidence for audiences who are unfamiliar with your subject; it is quite another to sway the favour of a reader who is an expert in the field. I am humbled, excited and somewhat gobsmacked to receive such praise."

LISTEN: Susan Cormier's interview on Radio West

Simon Brousseauwon the Prix du rcit Radio-Canada 2022for La signature du pre.

TheCBC Literary Prizeshave been recognizing Canadian writers since 1979.

The 2021winner was Montreal writer Chanel M. Sutherlandfor herstoryUmbrella. Other past CBC Literary Prize winners includeDavid Bergen,Michael Ondaatje,Carol ShieldsandMichael Winter.

• 16famous Canadian writers who won CBC Literary Prizes

If you're interested in otherCBC Literary Prizes, the 2023CBC Short Story Prizeis open for submissions until Oct. 31, 2022.

The 2023CBC Nonfiction Prizewill open in January and the 2023CBC Poetry Prizewill open in April.