U of A Press continues winning ways
Written By: David Beharry
2001-05-15
; "Speaking you is Holiness")
Award ceremonies. Love them or hate them, if you're nominated, you have to attend. This year, the University of Alberta Press loves them, picking up two awards at the Writers' Guild of Alberta and Book Publishers' Association of Alberta Book Awards Gala.The Holocaust's Ghost: Writings on Art, Politics, Law and Education won the Best Scholarly Award--the eighth year in a row the U of A Press has won in the category. The Holocaust's Ghost project arose from a conference hosted at the U of A in 1997. "It was a multidisciplinary look at the impact of the Holocaust, including a display of art with numerous pieces by Sid Chafetz," said Cameron.
Chafetz is a world-renowned printmaker who produced a set of 42 prints entitled The Perpetrators, which were reproduced in the book. "These artworks are designed to educate, provoke discussion and encourage study," said Dr. Bernard Schwartz, a professor emeritus with the Faculty of Education who co-edited the book with Professor Ted DeCoste, associate dean of the Faculty of Law.
"The book takes a creative approach to an important topic. With striking photos and excellent design, it illustrates the best in scholarly publishing," said Cameron.
The Holocaust's Ghost is receiving critical acclaim in other quarters, too. It has also won the prestigious Canadian Society for Yad Vashem Prize in Holocaust History, which will be awarded at the Jewish Book Awards in Toronto June 6.
"The Holocaust is a humanitarian issue," said Schwartz. "Genocide, racial and ethnic hatred and social injustice continue to be complex and troubling concerns of our world community."
Designer Alan Brownoff won Best Book Design for Apostrophes 1V: Speaking you is Holiness, by E.D. Blodgett, a professor emeritus from CompLit. Blodgett's first volume in the Apostrophes series won the Governor General's Award. The cover image, entitled Yellow to Red Orange, is by artist John Freeman, a professor in Art and Design. Freeman is currently co-ordinator of the painting division. Judges said that, in choosing this year's recipient, "jurors agreed that this book is precious. Care was put into its production. The book's intimate format and square shape feels lovely in your hand."
"The Press's strengths in the scholarly publishing and design categories show that the University of Alberta Press is indisputably recognized as one of the best scholarly publishers in Canada, I think," said U of A Press director Linda Cameron.
But Cameron added that the U of A Press won't rest on its laurels. "The University of Alberta Press is set for a marvelous fall season with an excellent list of new books. My thanks go to our committed staff, our tremendous authors, our energetic press committee, and the university for its ongoing support."
The U of A Press will showcase some of its best-known writers Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Greenwoods' Bookshoppe (10355 - 82 Ave.). Guest writers include John Acorn (Tiger Beetles of Alberta Killers on the Clay, Stalkers on the Sand), John Butler (Zucchini You Can Never Have Enough), A.K. Hellum (A Painter's Year in the Forests of Bhutan) and John Chalmers, editor of Middrie of the Northwest Memoirs of a Pioneer Canadian Missionary.
Original: ExpressNews