Two Dundurn Press Titles Named Finalists for the Hamilton Literary Awards - Dundurn
Nov 19, 2021

Two Dundurn Press Titles Named Finalists for the Hamilton Literary Awards

Dundurn Press is thrilled to announce that Boy by Brent van Staalduinen has been nominated for the Hamilton Literary Award, the Kerry Schooley Award, and Until Niagara Falls by Jennifer Maruno has been nominated for the Hamilton Literary Award for Fiction. Congratulations Brent and Jennifer!

Brent’s fiction novel, Boy, is a story as magical as it is real, that asks, if you could stop and restart time for a second chance, would you? Booklist calls this  “inarguably well written... the characters, complex..” Miriam Toews, Giller shortlisted author, says that Boy is “a perfectly compelling protagonist.”

Until Niagara Falls is about cautious and polite Brenda Barnhart, who is fascinated by the new-kid-on-the-block’s wildness and unruly family. Brenda feels she should show Maureen the proper way to behave, but the only thing she gets from the friendship is the feeling of walking on a tightrope. Quill & Quire calls this a “timeless portrayal of tweendom’s emotional churn.”

The Hamilton Literary Awards is an annual event with the goal of recognizing and celebrating the best of our region’s published authors.  The Awards are presented for books of outstanding merit and quality in the categories of Fiction, Poetry and Non-fiction by authors residing in Hamilton, Hamilton Region and on the Six Nations of the Grand River. Learn more here.

The award winners will be announced in a special live stream event. Find out more here.


Brent van Staalduinen is the author of the novel Saints, Unexpected. He is the winner of the Bristol Short Story Prize, Fiddlehead’s Best Short Fiction Award, and the Lush Triumphant Literary Award. Brent lives in Hamilton, Ontario. Read more here.

Jennifer Maruno is a long-time educator and author. Her debut novel, When the Cherry Blossoms Fell, was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award and the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award. She lives in Burlington, Ontario. Read more here.