The Vimy Trap Tour, Awards & Recognition

Canadian soldiers celebrate in the wake of their successful attack on Vimy Ridge. (Royal Montreal Regiment)

Jamie Swift at Victoria 2017 Peace Summit

Jamie was on the west coast this past May promoting The Vimy Trap. He was featured here in the Victoria Times-Colonist in the lead up to the Victoria Peace Summit.

You can watch Jamie Swift’s full talk at the University of Victoria right here:

Nominated for two Awards…

We are thrilled to report that Swift & McKay’s The Vimy Trap is a finalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and shortlisted for the 2017 Sir John A. Macdonald Prize. Read on for more details about each of these honours.

Our friends at Between the Lines have been busy with PQ co-founder Jamie Swift lining up dates to bring live readings and signings of The Vimy Trap to across Canada! Check our events calendar for the full listings and check back often as west coast dates in May will be announced soon. If you are in British Columbia and would like to help bring a Vimy Trap event to your community, please get in touch!

Now in its 17th year, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing is awarded annually for a book of literary nonfiction published the previous year that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on Canadian political life. The winning work combines compelling new insights with depth of research and is of significant literary merit. The prize particularly values books which provide the general reader with an informed, unique perspective on the practice of Canadian politics, its players, or its principles.

The Sir John A. Macdonald Prize is attributed annually to the best scholarly book in Canadian history and is awarded, since 2009, at the yearly Governor General Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, in addition to its long-established presentation at the annual CHA’s Annual Meeting.

Video Interview by Writers’ Trust of Canada

Debunking Vimyism on As it Happens

Following a weekend of nation-wide vigils, commemorations, and official words, CBC’s As It Happens host Carol Off hears from Jamie Swift, co-author of The Vimy Trap. In the 6-minute clip, he explains briefly why the “birth-of-a-nation” narrative doesn’t add up, and serves mostly to bolster the war drums of today.

You can read the full feature on cbc.ca/asithappens