Biblioasis-published author wins GG's award for poetry

The literary awards season keeps getting better for Windsor book publisher Biblioasis. One of its authors has won the Governor General's LiteraryAward for poetry.

Robyn Sarah, a Montreal-based poet, took home the award for My Shoes Are Killing Me.

"Robyn Sarah is the real star. She's fantastic," Grant Munroe, Biblioasis' director of publicity said in a phone interview with CBC News.

Sarah's book is one of several works published by Biblioasis and up for an award this fall. The publishing house also has a finalist for the Writer's Trust Award and two finalists for the Giller Prize. Another book made the Giller Prize long list.

The Canadian publishing industry is dominated by large publishers, so the accolades are welcome to an independent publisher like Biblioasis, Monroe said.

"We're smaller, we're scrappier, and we work harder for our authors," Monroe said. "Our press takes pride in being tenacious about getting authors to bring out the best book they possibly can,"

The other Biblioasis books up for awards are:

• Arvida by Samuel Archibald
• Confidence by Russell Smith
• Martin John by Anakana Schofield