Amber Dawn has won the City of Vancouver Book Award for her memoir How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir, published by Arsenal Pulp Press. The $2,000 prize, which recognizes books that “contribute to the appreciation and understanding of Vancouver’s history, unique character, or the achievements of its residents,” was presented at the Mayor’s Arts Awards Gala on Friday.

Dawn, who is also the author of the 2010 novel Sub Rosa, was shortlisted for the award alongside Jancis M. Andrews (The Ballad of Mrs. Smith, Hedgerow Press), Sean Kheraj (Inventing Stanley Park, UBC Press), Brad Cran (Ink on Paper, Nightwood Editions), and co-authors Harold Kalman and Robin Ward (Exploring Vancouver: The Architectural Guide, Douglas & McIntyre).