Vanderhaeghe wins Saskatchewan Book of the Year Award
USask alumni were celebrated at the Saskatchewan Book Awards gala on May 9 in Saskatoon
University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Dr. Guy Vanderhaeghe (BA’71, ARTS’72, MA’75, DLitt’97) was the big winner at the Saskatchewan Book Awards 2025 Gala and Awards Ceremony, which was held in Saskatoon on May 9.
Vanderhaeghe’s most recent book, Because Somebody Asked Me To: Observations on History, Literature, and the Passing Scene, was named Saskatchewan Book of the Year. The book, published by Thistledown Press, also picked up the top prize in the Non-Fiction category.
Vanderhaeghe has received numerous awards throughout his literary career. In 2009, USask’s College of Arts and Science recognized him as one of its Alumni of Influence. The Saskatoon writer is also a Governor General’s Literary Award winner who is best known for his books The Englishman’s Boy, The Last Crossing, and A Good Man. He has received the Timothy Findley Prize, the Harbourfront Literary Prize, and the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Prize, and he was a Fellow of The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. In 2003, Vanderhaeghe was honoured with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, and, in 2004, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Other USask alumni were also celebrated during the 32nd annual Saskatchewan Book Awards gala at TCU Place, where 14 awards in total were presented.
The 2025 SBA winners include the following USask alumni:
- First Book Award Honouring Brenda MacDonald Riches – The Medicine Chest: A Physician’s Journey Towards Reconciliation (University of Regina Press) by Dr. Jarol Boan (BA’74, MD’81)
- Jennifer Welsh Scholarly Writing Award – Eroding a Way of Life: Neoliberalism and the Family Farm (University of Regina Press) by Dr. Murray Knuttila (BA’73)
- Indigenous People’s Writing Award – The Art of Faye Heavyshield (Mackenzie Art Gallery) by Felicia Gay (BA’04, MA’11)
- Creative Saskatchewan Publishing Award – University of Regina Press for The Good Walk: Creating New Paths on Traditional Prairie Trails by Dr. Matthew R. Anderson (BA’81)
“It’s another year to celebrate the amazing diversity of our Saskatchewan literary community,” SBA chair Jack Walton said in a news release. “This year, except for double winner Guy Vanderhaeghe, the book prizes were evenly distributed amongst authors and publishers. This is especially encouraging for emerging Saskatchewan authors because they see an opportunity for their books to be promoted and celebrated.”
More than a dozen USask alumni were finalists for this year’s Saskatchewan Book Awards. A full list of the 2025 SBA winners is available here.