MP Charlie Angus, poet Cliff Cardinal among Trillium Book Award nominees

NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay Charlie Angus speaks during a press conference calling on First Nations representation, at the ongoing health care talks on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A member of Parliament and a celebrated playwright are among the nominees for the Trillium Book Award, Ontario's top literary prize.

Charlie Angus, who represents Timmins - James Bay in the House of Commons, is nominated for "Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower," while poet and performer Cliff Cardinal made the list with "William Shakespeare's As You Like It, A Radical Retelling."

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Also in contention for the $20,000 award are Kathy Friedman for "All the Shining People: Stories," Emma Healey for "Best Young Woman Job Book: A Memoir" and Stuart Ross for "The Book of Grief and Hamburgers."

The nominees for the $10,000 Trillium Book Award for Poetry are Madhur Anand for "Parasitic Oscillations", Laurie D. Graham for "Fast Commute" and Sanna Wani for "My Grief, the Sun."

The French-language finalists for the Trillium Book Award are Andree Lacelle for "dire," Gilles Lacombe for "Circe des hirondelles," Gilles Latour for "Feux du naufrage," Marie-The Morin for "Frontieres libres" and Nancy Vickers for "Capharnaum."

The finalists for the French-language prize for children's literature are Pierre-Luc Belanger for "Dany a la derive," Helene Koscielniak for "Megane et Mathis," and Michele Laframboise for "Le secret de Paloma."

The awards will be handed out June 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023.