National Magazine Nomination!

Whoop! Whoop!

I am getting a nomination for the National Magazine Awards from the New Quarterly, for my essay Different Ghosts: or Why I Didn't Write an Historical Novel about the Battle of the Bulge, which is in the current issue. Actually, it's not just me: the nomination is for the entire "Sweat and Serendipity" feature on the happy accidents of researching historical novels that also included work from Rita Donovan and Marianne Brandis -- a nomination in the "editorial package" category.

Exciting. The National Magazine Awards are a big deal -- probably the second biggest deal in Canada that's not a book prize. (The first would be the CBC Literary Awards, in my (not very humble) opinion.) And while a nomination is a long way from an award, it's still enough to spin my little feedback greedy heart. The magazines pay to nominate what they consider their best work over the course of the year -- and it's great to know when they think "best work" they think me. Gosh. Me?

Well, of course, says the little feedback-greedy heart. The FGH swings between moaning and gloating, and is not much fun to sit by at dinner parties.