Debby Vollbrecht has made the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for Letters to Dave.

The winner of the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

The shortlist will be announced on Sept. 15 and the winner will be announced on Sept. 22.

If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize is currently open for submissions until Oct. 31, 2022.

Debby Vollbrecht retired from a 30-year career in adult education, having taught at both Yukon College, Whitehorse and Capilano University. She now makes her home in Sidney, B.C., where she is an active member of the Sidney/North Saanich Library Writers Group. In 2014, Vollbrecht won a local contest for her short memoir, Staying in Touch, and has published short stories in the Writing Group's anthologies, Moving Right Along and Writing Rhapsody. In 2020, she self-published A Cold Place for Secrets: A Yukon Mystery and is currently working on her second mystery novel.

"Keeping spirits alive through letters."

"During our nearly 50 years together, Dave was hospitalized a number of times, first when he began dialysis and then following his kidney transplant eight months later. Both times I remained in Whitehorse while he lived in Vancouver for about four months. We wrote to each other in journal form nearly every day back then. During recent, shorter, separations, we texted daily.

"After Dave died, it seemed only natural to continue the tradition of writing to him, even though he wouldn't be writing back. These letters are my way of writing in a journal and keeping Dave with me."

Dear Dave,

We went on DST Sunday. Now Jxn wakes me at 7:30 instead of 8:30. I remember you waking early and waiting for me to wake up so you could say good morning. And me being grumpy because I'm not a morning person. From there my thoughts go to bedtime, when I'd just want to read my book, but you'd sit on the edge, my side, to chat, before you'd say "Nighty night, Flowerpot." I was such a jerk. I miss all those intimacies now.

Facebook popped up more memories. Last year, today, we drove to Port Renfrew, with the usual stop at Muir Creek. Got supper from Wendy's and ate at Esquimalt Lagoon. I remember that day well. Charged the Tesla in Port Renfrew, checked out the cottages on the dock by the pub, thought we'd be back soon….

Nighty night, from Flowerpot

The winner of the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

The 2023 CBC Short Story Prize is currently open for submissions until Oct. 31, 2022. The 2023 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January 2023 and the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize will open in April 2023.