Former Drumheller woman Carla Powell is making an impression on page and has been longlisted for a CBC literary award.
Powell, daughter of Doug and Jean, who now resides in Nova Scotia, has made the 2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for her work called Unrequited Love. This is the second time she has been up for this award she and was shortlisted in 2017 for her work, The Road to Machu Picchu Starts at 385 lbs.
“It is a phenomenal honour to be chosen twice, especially seeing that the selection process is done blind. So, I could be Michael Ondaatje and they wouldn't know,” Powell tells the Mail. “The first time I was selected, I was so shocked. I had submitted a piece that I wrote in under four hours, on a whim and so when I got short-listed I considered it a serious stroke of dumb luck. But to be chosen a second time has made me think that I might actually have some talent in terms of writing.”
She tells the Mail, Unrequited Love is about her mother.
“It is the story of a daughter's (me) quest to better understand her mother. I am 50 years old now and find that I am remembering my mother at this age. I would have been 16 years old when mom was 50. When we are younger, we don't necessarily think about our parents as being anything other than parents. There's a desire in me to understand mom as her own person, before she met my dad and had kids,” she said. “The story is about me tracing some of the steps in her early life to see if I can better understand her, and ultimately not coming up with the answers I was looking for, but, instead, more questions.”
Her style of writing is raw and honest.
“If I write something, I don't hold back on the feelings behind it, no matter how awkward or difficult they may be. That's the power of non-fiction - true story is evocative. People yearn to understand what the human experience is like for their friends, neighbours, family...and that creates connection,” she said
The longlist includes 35 writers from across Canada, taken from 1,700 submissions. It will soon be winnowed down to a shortlist by September 24, and the winner announced on October 1. The winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council of the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books, and attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Calgary Disc Dog Club (CDDC) held a spectator-free competition at the local soccer fields on Saturday, September 19 in Drumheller.
To maintain social distancing regulations and keep attendance numbers low, the event was not publicly advertised.
Founder of the CDDC and Drumheller resident Marion Paulson told the Mail, “We are hoping next year will make it possible to have an audience as it is a lot of fun. I am always open to talking to people about disc or learning disc.”
Plans to host the competition were made in fall 2019.
Paulson, who has 15 years experience, participated with her three dogs and came in third place in a game with her two youngest canine companions, aged two and seven years.
She was not the only local to participate at the event.
“Lisette Magdalena, also from Drumheller, competed over the weekend with her two dogs. (She) placed second and third in two games with her dog, Rocko,” Paulson said.
A photo of Paulson and her dog, Fame, is the feature photo for the 2020-2021 Best of the Badlands.
The 2020 competition is the first one the CDDC has held in Drumheller, and just over 50 dogs and 32 humans were in attendance.
Paulson said the club is hopeful the competition will become an annual event.