2021
Publication Award
Briony Penn accepted a Publication Award for Stories from the Magic Canoe of Wa’xaid by Cecil Paul as told to Briony Penn. Stories from the Magic Canoe reflects on the restoration of land and culture. Told in Wa’xaid’s (also known as Cecil Paul) singular, vernacular voice, the book spans a lifetime of experience, suffering and survival. A Xenaksiala Elder, Wa’xaid passed away in December 2020, shortly after his 90th birthday. The prominent Indigenous leader was known for his tireless work to protect the Kitlope, described as the largest intact temperate rainforest watershed in the world.