Daniel Francis

Reading the National Narrative

Jean Barman Honoured

Jun 9, 2014

Great to see historian Jean Barman being honoured with this year's George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award (which bills itself as BC's most prestigious literary prize).

Jean has written too many books to mention here but my favourite is probably Stanley Park's Secrets (Harbour Publishing 2005). By reminding us of the different communities who used to make their homes in Stanley Park, she completely changes the way we think about the park and about Vancouver's development. And at the same time the book showcases Jean's commitment to making history local and building bridges between the academy and the community.

The award will be conferred on June 19. It comes with some cash and a plaque with Jean's name on it embedded in the Writers Walk at the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library.