Island author named finalist for prestigious Haig Brown Regional Book Prize

A Comox author is being honored as one of the best in BC and Yukon as a finalist in the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Book Prize.

The award is given to the author(s) of the book that contributes most to the enjoyment and understanding of British Columbia and/or Yukon.

Ian Kennedy's book The most popular boat: The Princess Maquinna brings to life the story of the Canadian Pacific Railway ship Princess Maquinna, which steamed up and down the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island at a time when this remote part of BC was full of mines, canneries and now-forgotten settlements.

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Kennedy has written several books on BC history including Sunny Sandy Savary, The Life and Times of Joseph McPhee: Courtenay's Founding Father and co-author Tofino and Clayoquot Sound.

During and between writing books, Kennedy made a name for himself as a respected rugby journalist, a job that took him around the world and led to a 12-year stint at Rugby Canada.

Kennedy's articles on the Comox Valley Kickers RFC were a regular feature of The data set for several years

The winners of the BC and Yukon Book Awards will be announced at an awards gala on September 28 at the University Golf Club in Vancouver.