CIUS author receives Edmonton Book Prize (11/03/96)

CIUS author receives Edmonton Book Prize

EDMONTON - Frances Swyripa, director of the Ukrainian-Canadian Program at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, is the co-recipient of the first annual City of Edmonton Book Prize, inaugurated in 1995 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Fort Edmonton.

Dr. Swyripa and Bob Hesketh are the editors of the winning entry, "Edmonton: The Life of a City" (NeWest Press), a collection of over 30 articles, poems and photographs highlighting people and events from Edmonton's fur trade past to professional hockey in the present.

In addition to situating Edmonton within the larger picture of Canadian and prairie urban development, the book also recognizes the deep roots and continuing significance of the city's cultural diversity. Jars Balan's piece on Ukrainian theatrical activity in early Edmonton - a meticulous record of the plays staged and their sponsors - complements articles on the Metis, French, Chinese and more recent immigrant groups from south Asia. Approximately 15 percent of Edmonton residents can claim Ukrainian ancestry.

Drs. Swyripa and Hesketh were among those Edmontonians honored at the city's 45th annual Salute to Excellence, held at the Timms Centre on the university campus on June 20.