It was approximately 7 a.m. when 撸奶社区writer Arno Kopecky got the call.聽
His writing buddy living in Toronto had big news, but it was difficult to take anything he said seriously so early in the morning.
鈥淭his one caught me way off guard,鈥� Kopecky said. 鈥淭his one was totally off my radar.鈥�
Kopecky had been shortlisted for the 2014 Governor General鈥檚 Literary Awards. His publication The Oil Man and the Sea: Navigating the Northern Gateway was a finalist in the nonfiction category.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 the biggest award I鈥檝e been nominated for,鈥� Kopecky said.聽
The book is a rough sequel to his first publication The Devil鈥檚 Curve, in which Kopecky explores clashes in South America between indigenous communities and Canadian oil and mining companies. In The Oil Man and the Sea, Kopecky boards a 41-foot cutter and travels through British Columbia鈥檚 central coast to areas in which tankers would travel through to meet the proposed Enbridge Inc.鈥檚 Northern Gateway pipeline.聽
Following the oil and gas industry鈥檚 push in Canada took on an interesting twist, Kopecky said. While Canada was often the aggressor in South America when it came to such commodities, Kopecky鈥檚 home country is finding itself under intense pressure from Chinese businesses, he noted.聽
鈥淭he tables have turned a bit,鈥� he said.聽
Kopecky wrote both books within a three-year period. Eking a living out of writing isn鈥檛 easy, he noted. How people obtain information and consume literature is changing rapidly. But Kopecky said, for those who are willing and creative, there are still interesting opportunities in the field.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that we are approaching any kind of apocalypse for writing,鈥� he said.
Last month, Kopecky took home the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-fiction. It came with a $10,000 cash prize. If Kopecky takes the top place in the governor general鈥檚 awards he will receive a cheque for $25,000.聽
Kopecky said he鈥檚 been fortunate to receive some 鈥渓ucky breaks鈥� in writing and have the support of his family. Writing is a very challenging profession, he said, noting the reward is in the complete project.聽
鈥淸The awards] make it a little bit easier,鈥� he joked.聽
