New West author is Governor General's Literary Award finalist

You could say it was an early morning wake-up call on Wednesday, Oct. 12 for New Westminster resident and author Shashi Bhat.

Well, an early morning spate of notifications.

"I literally didn't believe it. I woke up that morning at 5am and had all of these 'congratulations' messages on my phone from people on the east coast. I didn't know what they were congratulating me for," Bhat tells New West Anchor.

Trying to find some clarity, she logged into her emails.

"I immediately burst into tears."

The downtown New West resident's hard work, writing, and creativity have culminated with a place on the finalist list for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Awards. These annual awards, first established in 1936, recognize the country's best English- and French-language books in seven categories, including:

• Fiction

• Non-fiction

• Poetry

• Drama

• Young people's literature, text

• Young people's literature, illustrated books

• Translation

Bhat's book, The Most Precious Substance on Earth, has been named a finalist in the fiction category. The book follows the main character Nina in a coming-of-age novel that looks at how silence can shape a life, following her from the 90s to the present day.

"[The book] is set in Halifax, but I was here during most of the time I wrote it ... I wrote in a lot of New West cafes, now that I think about it. I often will write by meeting with other writers. We just set a timer [and write]," says Bhat, who adds she spent most of her time holed up in local spots like the Hive Cafe and Waves.

While the book isn't autobiographical, and the plot is fictional, the 2018 Journey Prize winner says she writes from a place of emotion.

There's little time to pause and celebrate, however, as Bhat is busy working on a collection of short stories, expected to come out in 2024.

"[They're] stories about women and girls confronting the excruciating realities of having a body and being alone inside it—bodily autonomy, chronic illness, and searching for connection."

Bhat has always been keen to write about a variety of topics—after all, she's written for various publications like The Malahat Review, and is the editor-in-chief of EVENT Magazine—but has recently been interested in writing stories about women.

"I often write from a place ... a feeling of unfairness or injustice, and I think it's that feeling that makes me feel like writing," says Bhat, who notes that between personal experiences and things she's observed, the inspiration has been flowing. "I think when I see something and I can't stop thinking about it, or become preoccupied with it, it feels cathartic to write it down on paper."

As for when the Douglas College creative writing professor will learn whether she's nabbed the top prize? We'll have to wait for Nov. 16. Be sure to check out Bhat and the rest of the nominees at the Canada Council for the Arts' website.