The Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes is a Canadian literary award, presented annually as part of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. Named in memory of Jim Deva, a founder of the Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium bookstore in Vancouver, following a donation from his partner Bruce Smyth,Sue Carter, "B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes announces purse increases and a new award for 'Writing That Provokes'". Quill & Quire, October 24, 2019. the prize honours literature in any genre that "challenges or provokes the ideas and forces that shape what writing, art, and/or society can become".
The award's creation was announced in 2019, and it was presented for the first time in 2020."Steven Price, Ivan Coyote and Chantal Gibson among winners of the 2020 BC and Yukon Book Prizes". CBC Books, September 24, 2020.
Winners and nominees +Prize winners and finalists Year Author Title Result Ref.2020 Ivan Coyote Rebent Sinner Winner Francine Cunningham on/me Shortlist Jane Van Koeverden, "Alix Ohlin, Steven Price, Ivan Coyote, Yasuko Thanh among BC and Yukon Book Prize nominees". CBC Books, March 12, 2020. Chantal Gibson How She Read Hazel Jane Plante Little Blue Encyclopedia (For Vivian) Yasuko Thanh Mistakes to Run With2021 Joel Bakan The New Corporation: How 'Good' Corporations Are Bad for Democracy Winner Gail Johnson, "BC and Yukon Book Prizes announce 2021 winners". Stir, September 26, 2021. Billy-Ray Belcourt A History of My Brief Body Shortlist "Michelle Good, Billy-Ray Belcourt among 2021 BC and Yukon Book Prize finalists". CBC Books, April 8, 2021. Amber Dawn My Art Is Killing Me Michelle Good Five Little Indians Benjamin Perrin Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada's Opioid Crisis2022 Harsha Walia Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism Winner Cassandra Drudi, "2022 BC and Yukon Book Prizes winners announced". Quill & Quire, September 26, 2022. Nicola I. Campbell Spíləx̣m: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience and Resurgence Shortlist "British Columbia authors Alix Ohlin & Ruth Ozeki among 2022 B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes finalists". CBC Books, April 13, 2022. Danielle Geller Dog Flowers Darrel J. McLeod Peyakow Catherine Nolin, Grahame Russell Testimonio: Canadian Mining in the Aftermath of Genocides in Guatemala2023 Michael J. Hathaway What a Mushroom Lives For: Matsutake and the Worlds They Make Winner Cassandra Drudi, "Billy-Ray Belcourt and Cole Pauls among 2023 BC and Yukon Book Prizes winners". Quill & Quire, September 25, 2023. Otoniya J. Okot Bitek A Is for Acholi Shortlist Gail Johnson, "BC and Yukon Book Prizes announce 2023 shortlists". Stir, April 13, 2023. Tsering Yangzom Lama We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies Harrison Mooney Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery Y-Dang Troeung Refugee Lifeworlds: The Afterlife of the Cold War in Cambodia2024 Helen Knott Becoming a Matriarch Winner "Darrel J. McLeod, John Vaillant and Helen Knott among 2024 BC and Yukon Book Prizes winners". CBC Books, October 4, 2024. Angela Sterritt Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls Shortlist Cassandra Drudi, "2024 BC and Yukon Book Prizes shortlists announced". Quill & Quire, April 11, 2024. Y-Dang Troeung Landbridge: Life in Fragments Lindsay Wong Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas JAJ: A Haida Manga2025 Sarah Leavitt Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love Winner "Sarah Leavitt, Minelle Mahtani and Li Charmaine Anne among 2025 BC and Yukon Book Prizes winners". CBC Books, September 23, 2025. Carleigh Baker Last Woman Shortlist Cassandra Drudi, "Finalists announced for 2025 B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes". Quill & Quire, April 10, 2025. Billy-Ray Belcourt Coexistence Christopher Cheung Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism Loghan Paylor The Cure for Drowning2026 L. E. Fox This Book Is a Knife: Radical Working-Class Strategies in the Age of Climate Change Winner Cassandra Drudi, "Maria Reva, Julian Brave NoiseCat among winners of B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes". Quill & Quire, September 21, 2026. Ruby Smith Díaz Searching for Serafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes Shortlist Cassandra Drudi, "Finalists announced for 2026 B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes". Quill & Quire, April 14, 2026. Kawika Guillermo Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games Tracey Lindberg, George Littlechild The Cree Word for Love: Sâkihitowin Jen Sookfong Lee The Hunger We Pass Down
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