The following are the 2020 recipients of Margaret McWilliams Awards, one of the oldest literary awards in Canada, named in honour of writer Margaret McWilliams. Books nominated for this award have been published in the 2020 calendar year.
SCHOLARLY HISTORY
Civilian Internment in Canada: Histories and Legacies
by Rhonda Hinther and Jim Mochoruk, editors
University of Manitoba Press
Civilian Internment in Canada initiates a conversation about not only internment, but also about the laws and procedures—past and present—which allow the state to disregard the basic civil liberties of some of its most vulnerable citizens. Exploring the connections, contrasts, and continuities across the broad range of civilian internments in Canada, this collection seeks to begin a conversation about the laws and procedures that allow the state to criminalize and deny the basic civil liberties of some of its most vulnerable citizens. It brings together multiple perspectives on the varied internment experiences of Canadians and others from the days of World War One to the present.
LOCAL HISTORY
Fire, Folly and Fiasco: Why it took 100 Years to Build the Manitoba Museum
by James A. Burns
Woolly Mammoth Publishing
It is startling, even shocking, that a province as rich and deep in history as Manitoba would not have boasted a splendid, stand-alone provincial museum soon after it became a province on July 15, 1870. But it took Manitoba precisely 100 years to finally get there on July 15, 1970. Why did it take so long? Fire, Folly and Fiasco, by veteran museum curator Dr. James A. Burns, weaves together a tragic tale of frustration and failure leavened by the heroic stories of Manitobans who kept the dream of a provincial museum alive—for 100 years.
LOCAL HISTORY - MEMOIRS
Trailblazer in First Nations Education: Duzahan Mani Win, Doris Dowan-Pratt
by Doris Dowan-Pratt and
prepared by Leona Devuyst and Ed Ledohowski
Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre
In Trailblazer, the late elder Doris Pratt shares the proud heritage of her Dakota People, damaging government policies, and the need to reclaim Dakota language and culture. Though denied higher education in the residential school system, Elder Pratt (Walks Fast Woman) rose to become an education director and writer of Dakota resources.
POPULAR HISTORY
Historic Photographs of Portage la Prairie, 1870-1939: From Saskatchewan Trail to Royal Road
by James Kostuchuk, edited by Matthew D. Lacroix
Portage la Prairie Heritage Advisory Committee
Historic Photographs of Portage la Prairie presents a visual chronicle of the city from the oxcart trails of 1870 to the arrival of King George VI in 1939. This curated collection of high quality photographs includes visuals from public and private collections. Over the space of two years, hundreds of images were collected, scanned, and analyzed by heritage committee members. The photographs, and captions, provide a fresh perspective on one of Western Canada's oldest cities.
Page revised: 25 June 2021
