Izzy Ferguson has made the 2017 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for "The Loop."

Izzy Ferguson is a veteran of many love affairs, some consummated more than others. Ferguson is an architect with a 33-year practice in Toronto — recently closed — with a few prizes and many scars, a writer and a family man. He has, "one very fine wife, two very fine daughters and four very fine grandchildren."

Birds do it. Can I?

"If inspiration implies a flash of light and desire, there was none. 'The Loop' is simply a retrospective grapple with where I came from, what happened there and then, and what (if any) understandings might emerge from the whole mess — hoping that with greater understanding might come greater competence in living a life. I suspect most writers, in every piece large and small, are reaching for something similar — a little more clarity and competence in governing themselves."

"I learned to fly at a small-town airport with two grass runways. Both of them were a little too short for comfort, but at least the grass cushioned poor landings, especially after rain. I was eager to fly because I was young, foolish and self-absorbed. Flying offered something for each of me: the youth got excitement, the fool avoidable danger, and the egotist the opportunity, too often seized, to boast. My instructor, however, wanted a craftsman."

The winner of the 2017 CBC Nonfiction Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, will have an opportunity to attend a 10-day writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and have their story published on CBC Books and in Air Canada enRoute magazine. Four finalists will receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their story published on CBC Books.