On June 7, former Niverville resident K.R. Byggdin, who currently resides in Halifax, was awarded the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award for their debut novel, Wonder World.
The Raddall jury awarded the $30,000 prize for the book, writing, “As funny and sassy as it is poignant and observant, Wonder World is a virtuoso exploration of love and hope, a story of building bridges to family and community while staying true to oneself.”
The award was established in 1991 by noted Canadian author Thomas Head Raddall and continues with ongoing support from the Raddall family. The award is granted in appreciation of great fiction and to provide what the Raddall family calls “the gift of time and peace of mind” for the winning author to continue their writing.
The prize money will indeed give Byggdin time and peace of mind as they continue work on a new novel and begin their studies at the University of Guelph to earn a master’s degree in Fine Arts, Creative Writing.
Byggdin says that the award is extra special since it is, to their knowledge, the only major literary prize in Canada that is sponsored by a family rather than a corporation. The Raddall family remains active in the stewardship and maintenance of the award.
In the acknowledgements of Wonder World, Byggdin calls the book “a complicated, queer love story to the prairies.” And that is indeed how it reads. The main character, Isaac, grew up on the prairies but then moved to the east coast. A death in the family sees him return to his small Manitoba town and brings back all the joys and complications of life there.
Byggdin, who identifies as queer and non-binary and uses they/them/their pronouns, delivered a powerful acceptance speech at the awards ceremony.
“Now more than ever we need more stories of queer and trans joy in the face of ignorance and oppression that seeks to erase us from history and the present moment,” they said. “We will not be silent and we will never disappear. For those in the audience who do not identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer: we need you too. We need you to be loud and firm in denouncing the division and oppression that’s on the rise.”
Byggdin is particularly proud that their win occurred during Pride month.
“It was really, really nice and beautiful and touching to have such a positive response from the crowd. It meant a lot this year in particular with all the difficult politics that we’re seeing in Canada with queer and trans folks just fighting for their right to exist and be safe.”
Growing up in rural Manitoba, Byggdin notes that there were not many opportunities to talk to or even see LGBTQ2S+ people. They recall their first Pride events in Winnipeg and attending a coffeehouse where local musicians, storytellers, comedians, and drag artists etc would come to perform.
“I remember that as a queer, non-binary, closeted person, I was scared to even go to the parade because I thought I might be noticed,” they say. “But I did think I could go to this coffeehouse. I remember the glow in my heart as I sat down in that audience and listened to the singers. There was so much joy and happiness in the room and it felt like I belonged.”
Byggdin says that those coffeehouse experiences were the first few glimpses they had of members of the LGBTQ2S+ community being truly accepted for who they were. And it was where Byggdin began the journey of accepting themself for the first time as well.
As Pride events begin to show up in more small towns, both in southern Manitoba and across the country, Byggdin says they are grateful to see representation for the queer people who have always been here but have not been getting a chance to live their lives openly.
“When I was growing up, I can only imagine what it would have been like for me to know that Pride was happening in my small town or communities nearby,” Byggdin says. “It can be a very scary thing to walk down Main Street in Steinbach as a visibly queer, trans person if you’re by yourself, so having these opportunities to be in large, happy groups together remind ourselves that we do belong and get that moment of knowing that we’re here in numbers and that we have friends and allies in this community.”
Besides showing up and celebrating at Pride events, Byggdin points out that so much can be done by allies to confront homophobia or transphobia when it comes up, even in everyday conversation.
“It can be scary to confront the hate and the very real violence and vandalism that can occur against queer and trans folks but when people don’t hear that gentle pushback in conversation, it can be all too easy [for them] to assume that everyone around them thinks the same way,” they say. “I don’t think you need to be intense about it, but I think people underestimate the power of a conversation.”
Byggdin hopes that Wonder World has helped to inspire conversations like these and spread the message that there is nothing wrong or broken about who we are.
Wonder World is now available to purchase at The Community General Store in Niverville and Byggdin is so pleased about the novel being available in their hometown.
“It was such a beautiful moment for me to know that my book is now available in my hometown,” they say. “To know that there’s a place in my hometown with a book that means so much to me in relation to a town that means so much to me… It’s just really exciting and wonderful to me!”
Whether it’s writing an award-winning novel, marching in a parade, or conversing with friends, Byggdin has a simple suggestion for how to begin: “Just lead with love and I think good things will happen from there.”
