SaskBookAwardsOkay, that’s not how this annual Saskatchewan literary showcase is officially billed. It’s not like it’s the Super Bowl or the Olympics, after all. But the Saskatchewan Book Awards are celebrating 20 years in 2013, and having just celebrated our own 20 year anniversary in February, we consider that to be a significant milestone deserving of attention.

Tonight’s gala gets going at Conexus Arts Centre at 5:30 p.m. Award-winning writer Sharon Butala, who lives in Eastend and has written extensively on rural life and our relationship with nature, is the guest-speaker. But before that happens, there’s a Festival of Reading at the nearby MacKenzie Art Gallery from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Admission for that is $10 (children and students free). Tickets for the gala are $50.

For more information on the gala and which authors and publishers are up for the 14 awards visit here.