Nova Scotia’s Pottersfield Press has named S. Lesley Buxton of Penticton, B.C., as winner of the first Pottersfield Prize for Creative Non-fiction for her memoir, One Strong Girl, a mother’s account of the loss of her daughter to a rare disease. Buxton, who has a MFA in creative writing from University of King’s College, will receive a $1,500 advance and publication with Pottersfield in fall 2018.

St. Francis Xavier University English professor Suzanne Stewart placed second with her manuscript, The Tides of Time: A Nova Scotia Book of Seasons, which features portraits of contemporary labourers whose harvests mark the rhythms of the seasonal year. Stewart receives $1,000 and publication with Pottersfield.

According to Pottersfield publisher Lesley Choyce, two additional manuscripts from the competition will be published this year. The deadline for the next prize is March 31, 2019.