Samra Habib and John Zada were Shortlisted for the 2022 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction!
Established and endowed by writer and award-winning journalist Edna Staebler in 1991, the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction is administered by Laurier, the only university in Canada to bestow a nationally recognized literary award. The award recognizes a Canadian writer of a first or second published book with a Canadian locale or significance.
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE: A QUEER MUSLIM MEMOIR by Samra Habib (Penguin Random House Canada) has been shortlisted for the 2022 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction! Samra Habib is a writer, photographer, and activist. As a journalist they covered topics ranging from fashion trends and Muslim dating apps to the rise of Islamophobia in the US. Their writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Advocate, and their photo project, “Just Me and Allah,” has been featured in Nylon, i-D, Vanity Fair Italia, Vice, and The Washington Post. They work with LGBTQ organizations internationally, raising awareness of issues that impact queer Muslims around the world. WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE is their first book.
IN THE VALLEY OF THE NOBLE BEYOND: IN SEARCH OF THE SASQUATCH by John Zada (Greystone Books) has been shortlisted for the 2022 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction! John Zada is a writer, photographer, and journalist drawn to stories about adventure and far-flung parts of the world. He has worked in over two dozen countries and spent years as a journalist in the Middle East. His work has appeared in the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, Explore, CBC, Al Jazeera, BBC, Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NOBLE BEYOND is his first book. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
Samra is represented by Samantha Haywood, and John is represented by Carolyn Forde.
To see the full list of finalists, please visit: https://www.wlu.ca/news/news-releases/2022/july/laurier-announces-2020-shortlist-for-edna-staebler-award-for-creative-non-fiction-following-pandemic-postponement.html