Ontario Creates Announces 16 Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium Finalists Français
Finalist titles showcase Ontario's abundant literary talent
TORONTO, May 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Ontario Creates, an agency of the government of Ontario, is proud to announce the 16 finalists for the 2025 Trillium Book Awards / Prix Trillium, the province's prestigious literary prize for English and French-language Ontario authors.
Now in its 38 th year, the Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium has a long tradition of recognizing literary excellence. The 2025 finalists make up a diverse and exciting library of Ontario books, highlighting this year's best homegrown literature and creating a top-notch "Read Ontario" booklist to discover – from novels to poetry to non-fiction and more.
English-language Finalists for the Trillium Book Award:
Wild Houses, Colin Barrett (McClelland & Stewart / Penguin Random House Canada)
My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles That Made Us, Morgan Campbell (McClelland & Stewart / Penguin Random House Canada)
Code Noir, Canisia Lubrin (Alfred A. Knopf Canada / Penguin Random House Canada)
Who Will Bury You? And Other Stories, Chido Muchemwa (Astoria / House of Anansi Press)
I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together, Maurice Vellekoop (Random House Canada / Penguin Random House Canada)
English-language Finalists for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry:
The Seventh Town of Ghosts, Faith Arkorful (McClelland & Stewart / Penguin Random House Canada)
DADDY, Jake Byrne (Brick Books)
Terrarium, Matthew Walsh (icehouse poetry / Goose Lane Editions)
French-language Finalists for the Prix Trillium:
Céline au Congo, Aristote Kavungu (Les Éditions du Boréal)
Toronto jamais bleue, Marie-Hélène Larochelle (Leméac Éditeur)
Le prince africain, le traducteur et le nazi, Didier Leclair (Éditions David)
Un lourd prix à payer, Claire Ménard-Roussy (Éditions David)
Nickel City Fifs : Une épopée queer sudburoise sur fond de trous, Alex Tétreault (Prise de parole)
French-language Finalists for the Prix du livre jeunesse Trillium:
Rose du désert, Michèle Laframboise (Éditions David)
Le roi Poubelle, Eudes La Roche-Francoeur (Prise de parole)
Le bonnet magique, Mireille Messier (Comme des géants)
The Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium winners will be announced during an award ceremony on June 18, 2025. We invite you to visit our website and join us on our social channels to celebrate these authors and their literary works.
QUOTES
"The Trillium Book Awards showcase Ontario's artistic and cultural vibrancy. Amplifying their creative contributions, Ontario authors and publishers drive local economic growth, generating $980M and supporting over 6,000 jobs. Discover and champion this year's finalists by visiting local bookstores and libraries, and 'Read Ontario' to make an investment in both our cultural sovereignty and economic vitality."
~ Aaron Campbell, Chair, Ontario Creates
QUICK FACTS
The Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium encourages excellence in literature by investing in Ontario-based writers. Award recipients receive $20,000 and their respective publishers receive support to promote the winning titles.
Three titles are short-listed for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry in the English language, which recognizes literary achievement for a first, second or third published work of poetry. Award recipients will receive $10,000 and their respective publishers receive support to promote the winning titles.
Le Prix du livre jeunesse Trillium (en langue française) was introduced in the 20th Trillium year, and is awarded in alternating years with le Prix de poésie Trillium. Titles published over a two-year period are eligible, encouraging a greater number of submissions for these specific genre awards in the French language. Both awards provide a $10,000 prize.
Previous winners include internationally acclaimed authors as Stuart Ross, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Dionne Brand, Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Thomas King, Gilles Lacombe, Marguerite Andersen, Andrée Lacelle, Diya Lim, Lisa L'Heureux and François Paré to name a few.
Ontario is home to the country's largest book publishing industry, contributing $980M to our economy and supporting over 6,000 jobs each year. The publishing industry is both culturally significant and an economic driving force for the province.
LEARN MORE
Ontario Creates is proud to deliver the Trillium Book Awards each year. The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award in 1987 to recognize excellence, support marketing and foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and their works.
Ontario Creates is an agency of the Government of Ontario that facilitates economic development, investment and collaboration in Ontario's creative industries including the music, book, magazine, film, television and interactive digital media sectors.
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Vancouver Sun
16 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Cook This: 3 'reimagined' Jewish recipes from Arthurs, including challah French toast
Our cookbook of the week is Arthurs: Home of the Nosh by Raegan Steinberg and Alexander Cohen, co-owners of Montreal's Arthurs Nosh Bar, with writer Evelyne Eng. Jump to the recipes: challah French toast , smoked salmon panzanella salad and cheese blintzes . Raegan Steinberg paid homage to her late father, Arthur Steinberg, with a restaurant. She and her husband, executive chef Alexander Cohen, opened Arthurs Nosh Bar in 2016. Today, Montrealers (and the occasional visiting celebrity ) line up for a seat at their luncheonette. 'Reimagined' Jewish fare, including syrniki (Eastern European cottage cheese pancakes), latkes, challah French toast and ever-changing shakshuka, reflects their heritage: Raegan's 'Romanian-Russian-Ashkenazi' and Cohen's 'Moroccan-Spanish-Sephardic.' Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Nine years after opening Arthurs' doors, with three restaurants — including American-style bistro Romies — Raegan and Cohen (with writer Evelyne Eng) carry on Arthur's legacy in a cookbook, Arthurs: Home of the Nosh (Appetite by Random House, 2025). 'I feel like maybe that was my life's purpose,' says Raegan. 'I never thought I would lose my dad, and that really shifted my whole life. And I'm so grateful that my husband was on board and willing to create this — conceptualize this whole thing we've done.' She explains that Arthur was a food lover well before the term 'foodie' took hold. Her family's life revolved around eating, the where and the what. 'From a young age, all of us were introduced to food in a way that I don't know necessarily all families were.' Raegan began her culinary career in Montreal at Mandy's Gourmet Salads . After attending culinary school at the Art Institute of Vancouver, she worked at celebrated restaurants such as the Blue Water Cafe and Joe Beef . Cooking professionally became entwined with processing the trauma of losing her father. 'It was such an easy way just to forget. You're working with your hands. You put your head down. You work.' Being a chef wasn't what Raegan had expected to be doing, but she embraced it. 'I loved meeting people from all walks of life, and we all came together for this one purpose, and I loved the energy of the service.' Today, she oversees business development at Arthurs Nosh Bar. 'I'll always love food, making food and being creative with food. To be the best chef you can be, you need to be 100 per cent focused, and I don't think I could do that wearing all the hats. I love doing the other parts. I love working on the marketing and the branding, and I love building something from scratch and conceptualizing it.' In the book, Raegan says it was important for them to share 'the realistic sacrifices' people make in the food industry as well as the dishes and style of cooking Arthurs is known for. 'To be a chef, to be an entrepreneur, to own a restaurant — it's really hard work, and it's not always super fruitful. Every day is a challenge. And I wanted people to know, and I wanted people to resonate with the humour and the humility of the relationships and the day-to-day.' Arthurs is a tribute, but it's also a celebration. The book features the stories behind the restaurant and more than 115 recipes, including menu mainstays, Raegan and Cohen's family favourites and 'dream' recipes that may not suit high-volume restaurant cooking (e.g., pierogi, chicken liver spread and desserts — besides the babka and cookies they offer) but are the perfect fit for the home kitchen. 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If serving at a later time, reheat in a 300F (150C) oven for a few minutes, or gently resear in a pan. Recipes and images excerpted from Arthurs: Home of the Nosh by Raegan Steinberg, Alexander Cohen and Evelyne Eng. Copyright ©2025 Raegan Steinberg, Alexander Cohen and Evelyne Eng. Photographs by Karolina Jez. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our cookbook and recipe newsletter, Cook This, here .
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