Laveau-Harvie wins 2018 Finch Memoir Prize for ‘Okotoks Erratic’

Vicki Laveau-Harvie has won the 2018 Finch Memoir Prize for her manuscript ‘Okotoks Erratic’, a ‘gripping, black humoured drama’ about the power play between Laveau-Harvie’s parents and its ramifications.

Judges Candida Baker, Caroline Baum and Mark O’Flynn were unanimous in choosing Laveau-Harvie from a shortlist of six.

Baum said of the manuscript: ‘Its sharp vinegary tone added a thrilling and bracing note to this portrayal of an extreme, dysfunctional family. The writing has a visceral quality as well as a terrific sense of timing, irony and place.’ Baker likened the author to ‘a young Margaret Atwood or Alice Munro’.

Laveau-Harvie said that ‘to share what I’ve written as a result of this prize will be an enduring joy for me’. ‘Writing memoir represents freedom and possibility for anyone who chooses to do it,’ she added.

Laveau-Harvie wins $5000 and will be published by Finch in June 2018.

The judges also highly commended Fay Keegan’s manuscript ‘All Stations to Waterfall’, which explores how an accident at a young age shaped the author’s life and that of her family.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the winner’s name was Vicki Harvie-Laveau and the winning manuscript’s title was ‘Okotocks Erratic’. The winner’s name is Vicki Laveau-Harvie and her manuscript’s title is ‘Okotoks Erratic’.

Category: Awards Local news