The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia has announced its shortlist for the 2016 East Coast Literary Awards, which celebrate non-fiction, poetry, and fiction by Atlantic Canadian writers.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Halifax on June 4.

Selected from 69 submissions, the shortlisted writers are:

Evelyn Richardson Non-fiction Award:

• Dean Jobb, Empire of Deception: From Chicago to Nova Scotia – The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation (HarperCollins)
• Marq de Villiers, Back to the Well (Goose Lane Editions)
• Gary L. Saunders, My Life With Trees (Gaspereau Press)

J.M. Abraham Poetry Award:

• Phillip Crymble, Not Even Laughter (Salmon Poetry)
• John Wall Barger, The Book of Festus (Palimpsest Press)
• Sue Goyette, The Brief Reincarnation of a Girl (Gaspereau)

Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award:

• Mark Anthony Jarman, Knife Party at the Hotel Europa (Goose Lane)
• Elisabeth de Mariaffi, The Devil You Know (HarperCollins)
• R.W. Gray, Entropic (NeWest Press)