Canadian Authors Association


The Canadian Authors Association is Canada's oldest association for writers and authors. The organization has published several periodicals, organized local chapters and events for Canadian writers, and sponsors writing awards, including the Governor General's Awards.

History

The Canadian Authors Association was founded in 1921. The founding organizers included John Murray Gibbon, Bernard Keble Sandwell, Stephen Leacock, and Pelham Edgar. By the end of its first year the organization had more than 700 members.
In its early years the association was known for its conservative views on literature and its support of traditional writing genres, including colourful idealized stories in quaint local settings. Local chapters of the CAA organized activities to encourage and develop the skills of Canadian writers, including study groups, readings, and workshops.
In 1919, the CAA founded a magazine, Canadian Bookman. In 1936, the association founded Canadian Poetry, edited by E. J. Pratt.
The association founded the Governor General's Awards in 1937, Canada's highest literary award, as well as the Canadian Authors Association Awards.

Notable presidents

The Canadian Authors Awards, originally known as Canadian Authors Association or CAA Awards and now occasionally called Literary Awards, were created in 1975 to fill in for the Governor General’s medals, as these were overtaken by the Canada Council for the Arts, and were presented in multiple categories to authors who are Canadian born or permanent residents. The following is an incomplete list of winners of the award, originally given out in three categories, before the category Canadian History and the Emerging Writer Award were added in 1997 and 2006. After 2017 all categories were discontinued and replaced by the Canadian Authors Fred Kerner Award, which had already been accoladed the first time in 2016.
;CAA Award for Fiction
;CAA Award for Poetry
;CAA Award for Canadian History
;CAA Emerging Writer Award
;CAA Award for Drama
;Canadian Authors Fred Kerner Award