Jane Watt nominated
April 18th, 2014
Jane Watt has accepted the first “Writer in Tent” residency at Fort Langley,
If you want something done, ask a busy person. Like Jane Watt. The new book review editor for British Columbia History has been doubling as the inaugural ‘Writer In Tent’ at the Fort Langley National Historic site—yes, they really do have such a thing—when she was informed her self-published kids book, The Boy Who Paints (Fenton / Sandhill $19.95), featuring the work of Fort Langley painter Richard Cole (www.colestudio.ca), is one of five titles shortlisted for the 2014 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s book award. The Boy Who Paints is the uplifting, coming-of-age story of a boy who persists in painting even though his mother nags him to stop. Featuring Western Canadian landscapes, it’s about trusting one’s instincts and overcoming self-doubt. The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards were established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz in memory of her sister, Ruth, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the family renamed the awards to honour both sisters. Among ten nominees in two categories, The Boy Who Paints was the only book from B.C. Jane Watt previously won a Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for historical writing for High Water: Living with the Fraser Floods. In her spare time, Watt edits an ongoing feature for BCBookLook called Rear View Window that recalls B.C. history through the pages of B.C. Historical Quarterly, the venerable precursor to British Columbia History. 9780991714605
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