Author Chelene Knight has won the Vancouver Book Award for Junie published by Book*Hug Press. The Book Award winner was announced on Friday afternoon at the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Library.
About the winning book
Chelene Knight
Junie
Book*hug Press
1930s, Hogan’s Alley – A thriving Black and immigrant community located in Vancouver’s East End. As Junie finds adulthood, exploring her artistic talents and burgeoning sexuality, her mother sinks further into the bottle while the thriving neighbourhood – once gushing with potential – begins to change. As her world opens, Junie intuits the opposite for the community she loves. Told through the fascinating lens of a bright woman in an oft-disquieting world, this book is intimate and urgent — not just an unflinching look at the destruction of a vibrant community, but a celebration of the Black lives within.
Learn more about the Vancouver Book Award, including the 2023 shortlist and information about the selection committee.