Runaway Wives and Rogue Feminists won two Manitoba literary awards this month: the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Best Non-fiction, and the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba author.

I had spent weeks trying to dissuade my family from attending the awards June 15 because I was up for three, and convinced they were going to watch me lose THREE TIMES.

This photo is of all the night’s literary winners. That’s me to the right with the big smile and the wrong-coloured sandals, apparently.

The fellow next to me is Michael Kaan, Book of the Year winner for his historical saga called The Water Beetles. Heading to McNally’s this week to buy several of the winners’ books, plus a few (OK, more than a few) others.

The list is looking . . . expensive. But excellent.