EUGENE STICKLAND WINS 2016 CITY OF CALGARY W.O. MITCHELL AWARD

ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY 2015-16 WRITER IN RESIDENCE WINS FOR FIRST NOVEL, THE PIANO TEACHER

CALGARY – Eugene Stickland, writer in residence at St Mary’s University, has won the 2016 City Of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Award, given each year to an outstanding book by a Calgary author published in the preceding year. He wrote his award-winning novel, The Piano Teacher (BHOUSE PUBLICATIONS), while he was writer in residence on the St. Mary’s campus.

Stickland was joined on the award shortlist by Sharon Butala (Wild Rose) and Will Ferguson (Road Trip Rwanda: A Journey into the new heart of Africa).

“On behalf of the entire St. Mary’s University Community, I congratulate Eugene Stickland on his well-deserved prize,” said Dr. Tara Hyland-Russell, Vice-President Academic and Dean. “We are pleased and proud that he wrote his debut novel during his tenure as a writer in residence here. His creative example and his thoughtful mentoring of our students will have a lasting impact on our community.”

The City of Calgary established this $5,000 prize in honour of renowned Calgary writer W.O. Mitchell, to recognize literary achievement by Calgary authors. The prize is administered through a partnership between the City of Calgary and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. A three-person jury from the Canadian Literary Community judges all entries and selects the winner for confirmation by the Calgary Awards Committee. The jury is made up of a Calgarian, an Albertan from outside Calgary, and a Canadian from outside Alberta.

About St. Mary’s University: St. Mary’s University is an innovative teaching and research University that provides affordable, accredited and highly valued degrees in Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education, and is located on a historic site in Calgary, Alberta. The students at St. Mary’s are inspired to combine academics with a passionate commitment to ethics, social justice and respect for diversity of opinion and belief.