Vancouver's Carrie Mac Wins CBC Canada Writes Non-Fiction Prize

East Vancouver resident and former paramedic Carrie Mac has captured the prestigious CBC Canada Writes Non-Fiction Prize for her story "If You Have A Good Seal, The Chest Will Rise".

Carrie Mac is the award-winning author of eleven novels for teenagers, including the fantasy Droughtlanders, which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by the ALA and is the first book in the Triskelia series.

The jury, comprised of Kamal Al-Solaylee, Michael Harris and Merrily Weisbord, called Carrie's piece "a startling, hard-hitting story... Written with crisis energy and a real vulnerability". The piece follows a newbie paramedic on a stressful shift, based on Carrie's own experiences in Vancouver's troubled downtown east side neighbourhood.

Carrie will receive $6,000 and publication in Air Canada's enRoute magazine, as well as a residency at the Banff Centre. The remaining shortlisted authors will receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts.

You can read Carrie's winning entry on the Canada Writes website.