The shortlists for the 2011 Saskatchewan Book Awards were announced this morning at a press conference held at the University of Regina.

According to organizers, this year’s 61 nominees, selected from 233 submissions, represent a greater diversity of the province’s publishing than in previous years, with First Nations and Métis authors being recognized in almost all 13 categories.

The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on April 28 held at Regina’s Conexus Arts Centre.

Scholarly Writing Award

• Mark Cronlund Anderson and Carmen L. Robertson, Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers (University of Manitoba Press)
• Keith Thor Carlson, The Power of Place, the Problem of Time: Aboriginal Identity and Historical Consciousness in the Cauldron of Colonialism (University of Toronto Press)
• Curtis R. McManus, Happyland: A History of the Dirty Thirties in Saskatchewan, 1914“1937 (University of Calgary Press)
• Mareike Neuhaus, That’s Raven Talk: Holophrastic Readings of Contemporary Indigenous Literature (CPRC Press/University of Regina)
• David Sauchyn, Harry Diaz, and Suren Kulshreshtha, The New Normal: The Canadian Prairies in a Changing Climate (CPRC/University of Regina)

First People’s Writing Award

• Mark Cronlund Anderson and Carmen L. Robertson, Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers (University of Manitoba Press)
• Margaret Cote; Saulteaux elders, trans., NÄ“napohsÌŒ Legends: Memoir 2 (CPRC/University of Regina)
• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story about Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Harold Johnson, The Cast Stone (Thistledown Press)

Saskatoon Book Award

• Beverly Brenna, Waiting for No One (Red Deer Press)
• Jeff Park, The Cellophane Sky: Jazz Poems (Hagios Press)
• Darren R. Préfontaine, Gabriel Dumont: Li Chef Michif in Images and in Words (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Jefferson Smith, Strange Places (Indie Ink Publishing)

Regina Book Award

• Mark Cronlund Anderson & Carmen L. Robertson, Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers (University of Manitoba Press)
• Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton; Sherry Farrell Racette, illus.; Norman Fleury, trans., Call of the Fiddle (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Lee Arthur Chane, Magebane (DAW Books)
• Britt Holmström, Leaving Berlin (Thistledown)
• Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn Press)

Award for Poetry

• Bill Blum, Picking Roots (self-published)
• Don Kerr, Wind Thrashing Your Heart (Hagios Press)
• Adam Pottle, beautiful mutants (Caitlin Press)
• Thelma Poirier, Rock Creek Blues (Coteau Books)

First Book Award

• Bill Blum, Picking Roots (self-published)
• Adam Pottle, beautiful mutants (Caitlin)
• Anne McDonald, To the Edge of the Sea (Thistledown)
• Curtis R. McManus, Happyland: A History of the Dirty Thirties in Saskatchewan, 1914“1937 (University of Calgary Press)

Children’s Literature Award

• Adele Dueck, Racing Home (Coteau)
• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story About Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Alison Lohans, Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn)
• Anne Patton, Full Steam to Canada: A Barr Colony Adventure (Coteau)
• Judith Silverthorne, The Secret of the Stone Circle (Coteau)
• Alison Uitti, First Days: Night Movies (Hear My Heart Books)

Fiction Award

• Britt Holmström, Leaving Berlin (Thistledown)
• Harold Johnson, The Cast Stone (Thistledown)
• Devin Krukoff, Flyways (Thistledown)
• Arthur Slade, Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III (HarperCollins Canada)
• Larry Warwaruk, Bone Coulee (Coteau)

Non-fiction Award

• Dwayne Brenna, Our Kind of Work: The Glory Days and Difficult Times of 25th Street Theatre (Thistledown)
• Mark Cronlund Anderson & Carmen L. Robertson, Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers (University of Manitoba Press)
• Timothy Long, Huang Zhong Yang: The Shadow of Mao (Mackenzie Art Gallery)
• Curtis R. McManus, Happyland: A History of the Dirty Thirties in Saskatchewan, 1914“1937 (University of Calgary Press)
• Keith Olsen, Within the Stillness: One Family’s Winter on a Northern Trapline (Your Nickel’s Worth)
• Darren R. Préfontaine, Gabriel Dumont: Li Chef Michif in Images and in Words (Gabriel Dumont Institute)

Book of the Year Award

• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story about Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Devin Krukoff, Flyways (Thistledown)
• Curtis R. McManus, Happyland: A History of the Dirty Thirties in Saskatchewan, 1914“1937 (University of Calgary Press)
• Thelma Pepper, Human Touch: Portraits of Strength, Courage & Dignity (Pepper Publishing)
• Darren R. Préfontaine, Gabriel Dumont: Li Chef Michif in Images and in Words (Gabriel Dumont Institute)

First People’s Publishing Award

• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story about Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton; Sherry Farrell Racette, illus.; Norman Fleury, trans., Call of the Fiddle (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Jonathan Anuik, First in Canada: An Aboriginal Book of Days (CPRC/University of Regina)

Publishing in Education Award

• Penny Draper, Ice Storm: Disaster Strikes #6 (Coteau)
• David Sauchyn, Harry Diaz, Suren Kulshreshtha, The New Normal: The Canadian Prairies in a Changing Climate (CPRC/University of Regina)
• Leah M. Dorion; Rita Flamand, trans., Relatives with Roots: A Story About Métis Women’s Connection to the Land (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Pamela D. Palmater, Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity (Purich Publishing)
• Nicole Gombay, Making a Living: Place, Food and Economy in an Inuit Community (Purich)

Award for Publishing

• Sandra Bingaman, Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912 (CPRC/University of Regina)
• Jonathan Anuik, First in Canada: An Aboriginal Book of Days (CPRC/University of Regina)
• Sue Sorensen, A Large Harmonium (Coteau)
• Darren R. Préfontaine, Gabriel Dumont: Li Chef Michif in Images and in Words (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
• Jeff Park, The Cellophane Sky: Jazz Poems (Hagios)
• G. Hutchings and D. Halstead, Dragonflies and Damselflies in the Hand: An Identification Guide to the Boreal Forest Odonates in Saskatchewan and Adjacent Regions (Nature Saskatchewan)