Five of Canada's top non-fiction authors on stage together at free round-table event in downtown Toronto on Thursday February 26th

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - The public will have an opportunity to meet and hear the five finalists for the RBC Taylor Prize free on Thursday, February 26^th at the Toronto Reference Library. Five Canadian authors are in the running for the prestigious non-fiction book award and will be on stage with Globe and Mail book editor Mark Medley.

The Toronto Public Library and Harbourfront Centre's International Festival of Authors are organizing this special evening. The round table discussion will begin at 7:00 p.m. and run until 8.30 p.m.  There will be a Question and Answer Period and the authors will stay for a book signing when the 90-minute programme ends.

The event will be held in the large Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, and Toronto.  Tickets are free and can be reserved at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rbc-taylor-prize-tickets-14732656773

The five finalists and their books are:

• They Left Us Everything by PLUM JOHNSON (Toronto, Ontario), published by Penguin Canada;
• One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada's Tragedy at Dieppe by DAVID O'KEEFE (Montreal, Quebec), published by Random House Canada;
• The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness in our Times by BARBARA TAYLOR (London, England), published by Hamish Hamilton Canada;
• And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa by M. G. VASSANJI (Toronto, Ontario), published by Doubleday Canada;
• Boundless by KATHLEEN WINTER (Montreal, Quebec), published by House of Anansi Press.

Mark Medley is The Globe and Mail's books editor. He currently sits on PEN Canada's Board of Directors and serves on the Advisory Committee of Humber's School for Writers.

"These five authors and their books represent not only the finest non-fiction written in Canada today but also represent the topics that Canadians find interesting," said Prize founder Noreen Taylor. "Taken collectively, they present a fascinating glimpse of the lens we look through when we view ourselves, our history, and the world beyond our borders."

The RBC Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. The International Festival of Authors (IFOA), The Toronto Public Library and The Globe and Mail newspaper sponsor Thursday's public authors event. The five authors will also appear on stage at The Globe and Mail / Ben McNally Authors' Brunch on Sunday, March 1st at the Omni King Edward Hotel. For tickets: www.benmcnallybooks.com.

This will be the fourteenth awarding of The RBC Taylor Prize. The prize consists of $25,000 and a crystal trophy for the winning author and $2,000 for each of the runners-up as well as extensive national publicity and promotional support to help all books stand out in the national media and book retailers across the country. The winner of this year's prize will be announced at a gala luncheon and awards ceremony at The King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto on Monday, March 2nd.

The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management, its Major Sponsor is Metropia, its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail (exclusive newspaper sponsor), CNW Group, The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean's magazine, and Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Authors at Harbourfront Centre, Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Kobo Inc., The Toronto Library Board, and The Omni King Edward Hotel.

For more information visit: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.

For more information about the finalists visit http://www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/finalists_15.asp. 
Visit RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize. 
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize.
To download high-resolution images of the jury, finalists, and shortlisted titles, please go to:www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/photogallery_15.asp

SOURCE Charles Taylor Prize

Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates, Stephen Weir: 416.489.5868 | cell: 416.801.3101 | [email protected]