Barbara Ballé and Ward Pycock, both of Kamloops, British Columbia, received the 2021 Dr. Robert and Elma Schemenauer Writing Awards at the Interior Authors Group summer social held July 24, 2021.
Barbara Ballé won in the category Writing Showing an Appreciation of Nature for her poem SLEEP MY SORROW.
One judge commented, "In the stanza which follows the opening, an excellent set of words presents a wholesome, natural scene to establish a fresh tone which holds quite well. I really like the line 'Nostalgically, we walked after breakfast, seeing the North Thompson forcing the wind to a long-distance race.'"
Another judge said, "Certain lines resonated with me. 'Chickadees wove songs on fronds of fir' is one such line.
Ward Pycock won in the category Writing with a Kamloops and Area Theme for his novel SKY LADDERS.
In the words of one judge, "This is an intriguing fantasy novel that involves time travel. Well-developed characters that pull at your heartstrings. The story opens up in such a way as to make the reader want to keep reading to see what happens next, especially how they will arrive where they want to be. What stood out for me in this timeless story is how we are connected to our ancestors whether we know it or not and whether we knew them or not. Their love flows forward or even backwards as in this story."
Another judge said, "I particularly enjoyed the scenes that take place in France and British Columbia during World War I. And I like the fact that the main characters are Kamloopsians."
To read the winning entries, please see https://elmams.wixsite.com/awards/2021-winners .
Both the Kamloops Theme and Nature Theme Awards consist of a cash prize to the winner, a certificate, and a press release issued to local media. Accompanying each Award is a cash donation to the IAG to support its growth and educational activities.
The Awards are privately sponsored by Dr. Robert and Elma Schemenauer. They are not given by the Interior Authors Group of Kamloops. However, membership in the IAG is required to enter the annual contest. This is the sixth year they have been given to help support and recognize writers in Kamloops and area.
For more about the Awards, see http://elmams.wix.com/Awards . For more about the IAG, see https://interiorauthorsgroup.wordpress.com/ .
