CBC is thrilled to announce the roster of esteemed presenters who will participate in the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize 20th Anniversary on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. The five finalists—Dennis Bock, Lynn Coady, Craig Davidson, Lisa Moore and Dan Vyleta—will be introduced by the following special presenters: actress, producer and director Jennifer Podemski; actress and producer Wendy Crewson; screenwriter, producer and director Paul Haggis; CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos; and Juno Award-winning hip-hop artist Shad (Shadrach Kabango). Adding to the evening’s excitement will be Canadian folk-duo Whitehorse, who will perform a rendition of their song Devil’s Got a Gun.

 

The SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE gala will be hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (of CBC Radio One and TV’s cultural affairs program Q), and be broadcast at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television from the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto. It will also be live-streamed on CBC Books with a concurrent live chat, enabling Canadians across the country to be part of the Giller experience. With a winner being crowned and awarded the prize that night, the presenters will join the authors onstage to celebrate the year’s biggest achievements in Canadian arts and letters. An appearance on Q the following morning will be the first national broadcast feature interview for this year’s winner.

 

“The CBC has outdone itself this year,” said Jack Rabinovitch, founder of the Scotiabank Giller Prize. “It’s a very special one for us as it’s the Giller’s 20th anniversary. They have done an exceptional job of finding presenters who are uniquely qualified to speak to the five wonderful books on this year’s shortlist.”

 

Jennifer Podemski will present Going Home Again by Dennis Bock

Wendy Crewson will present Hellgoing by Lynn Coady

Paul Haggis will present Cataract City by Craig Davidson

George Stroumboulopoulos will present Caught by Lisa Moore

Shad will present The Crooked Maid by Dan Vyleta

 

The five authors on this year’s shortlist were selected by a distinguished jury made up of some of the finest writers in North America: poet, novelist, literary critic and essayist Margaret Atwood; novelist and former Giller winner Esi Edugyan; and American novelist, essayist and short story writer Jonathan Lethem.

 

Canada’s literary luminaries will walk the red carpet as they arrive for the gala. Reporters, photographers and social media bloggers wishing to cover the glitz and glamour of the red carpet arrivals are asked to arrive by 3:45 p.m. Check-in will be on the second floor of the Ritz-Carlton at the media registration desk.

 

Following the red carpet, reporters are welcome to move to the media room to watch a live feed of the awards gala.

 

Interviews with the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author will follow in the media room.

 

Media wishing to attend are required to RSVP by Friday, November 1 to Dayna Shiskos at dayna.shiskos@cbc.ca

 

 

The Scotiabank Giller Prize strives to highlight the very best in Canadian fiction year after year. The prize awards $50,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English, and $5,000 to each of the finalists. The award is named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller and was founded in 1994 by her husband, Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch.

 

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

 

CBC Books features all of CBC’s rich literary content and major events and programs such as Canada Reads, the Massey Lectures and Canada Writes. This one-stop destination for book lovers and writers includes in-depth information on books, exclusive interviews with authors, the latest news stories from the publishing world, book reviews, best-seller lists, writing workshops and challenges, plus discussions and blogs on the written word. This online meeting place brings together literary enthusiasts to find books they want to read and to connect with other Canadians who love to read and write.

 

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank Bright Future. Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $47 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

 

For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC’s publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity.

 

Dayna Shiskos, publicist, CBC

(o) (416) 205-7973

(c) (416) 420-5241

 

Kylie McGregor, publicist, CBC

(o) (416) 205-8638

(c) (416) 948-6181