{{Short description|American-Canadian writer (born 1968)}} {{Infobox author | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1968}} | birth_place = Lebanon, Indiana | nationality = American-Canadian | occupation = Novelist, playwright and journalist | website = {{URL|amimckay.com/}} | alma_mater = Indiana State University | children = 2 }} '''Ami McKay''' (born 1968)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Suzanne |date=2013-12-16 |title=Ami McKay |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ami-mckay |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413145053/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ami-mckay |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=McKay, Ami 1968- |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/mckay-ami-1968 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> is an American Canadian novelist, playwright and journalist.
== Personal life and education == McKay was born in Lebanon, Indiana<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2012 |title=There is no frigate like a book |url=http://amimckay.com/tag/halifax-public-library/ |website=Ami McKay |access-date=2020-08-05 |archive-date=2020-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020004031/https://amimckay.com/tag/halifax-public-library/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in 1968 and was raised in rural Indiana.<ref name=":8" /> She received a bachelor's degree in music education and graduate degree in musicology from Indiana State University.<ref name=":0" />
In 2000, McKay moved with her two sons to Scots Bay, Nova Scotia<ref name=":0" /> to live with the man she would eventually marry.<ref name=":8" />
Many members of McKay's family have Lynch Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes a predisposition for numerous cancers.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2020-07-13 |title=How a family history of dying young shaped Ami McKay and changed cancer research |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/full-episode-july-13-2020-1.5299449/how-a-family-history-of-dying-young-shaped-ami-mckay-and-changed-cancer-research-1.5299451 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=CBC Books |archive-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513234622/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/full-episode-july-13-2020-1.5299449/how-a-family-history-of-dying-young-shaped-ami-mckay-and-changed-cancer-research-1.5299451 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later in life, McKay learned that she carries the gene.<ref name=":1" /> This condition has inspired her writing, most prominently ''Daughter of Family G.''<ref name=":1" />
== Career == After receiving her graduate degree, McKay moved to Chicago, where she taught music full-time and spent her free-time writing.<ref name=":0" />
In 2000, she devoted herself to writing full-time. During this time, she "began writing and producing documentaries for CBC Radio."<ref name=":0" /> Her work has aired on ''Maritime Magazine'', ''Outfront'', ''This Morning'' and ''The Sunday Edition''. Her documentary, ''Daughter of Family G'' won an Excellence in Journalism Medallion at the 2003 Atlantic Journalism Awards. She was a finalist in the Writers' Union of Canada's Short Prose Competition as well as the recipient of a grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.
McKay's first novel, ''The Birth House'', was published in 2006 and landed the top spot on Canadian bestseller lists.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Her second novel, ''The Virgin Cure'', was published in 2012.
Her first script for the stage, ''Jerome: The Historical Spectacle,'' was commissioned by Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Company and was staged at The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, directed by Ken Schwartz in August 2008.
In 2019, it was announced that ''The Birth House'' had been purchased to be adapted for television by Sherry White and Kerri MacDonald and Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=van Koeverden |first=Jane |date=2019-05-24 |title=Ami McKay's novel The Birth House being adapted for TV |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/ami-mckay-s-novel-the-birth-house-being-adapted-for-tv-1.5148964 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=CBC Books |archive-date=2021-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923064439/https://www.cbc.ca/books/ami-mckay-s-novel-the-birth-house-being-adapted-for-tv-1.5148964 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Awards and recognition== In 2003, McKay was an apprentice in the WFNS Mentorship program, where she was paired with Richard Cumyn.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}
In 2011, ''The Birth House'' was one of five finalists in CBC's Canada Reads, having been championed by TV host and designer Debbie Travis.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Meet Canada Reads 2011 nominee Ami McKay |url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1775706428 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=CBC Books}}</ref>
In 2012, McKay received the Established Artist Recognition Award from the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council / Province of Nova Scotia.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} The same year, ''The Virgin Cure'' won the Atlantic Independent Booksellers' Association "Bookseller's Choice of the Year" award.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}
In 2017, CBC Books included ''The Birth House'' on their "100 novels that make you proud to be Canadian" list in the 69th position.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-12-04 |title=100 novels that make you proud to be Canadian |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/100-novels-that-make-you-proud-to-be-canadian-1.4194710 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=CBC Books |archive-date=2023-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430204547/https://www.cbc.ca/books/100-novels-that-make-you-proud-to-be-canadian-1.4194710 |url-status=live }}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" |+Awards for McKay's writing !Year !Title !Award !Result !Ref. |- | rowspan="3" |2003 | rowspan="2" |''Daughter of Family G'' |Atlantic Journalism Award for Feature Writing for Radio |Finalist |<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" /> |- |Gabriel Award |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":0" /> |- |"Illumination" |Writers' Union of Canada Short Prose Competition |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":8" /> |- |2004 | rowspan="6" |{{Sort|Birth House|''The Birth House''}} |H.R.(Bill) Percy Prize for Unpublished Novel |Second |{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} |- | rowspan="5" |2007 |Atlantic Book Awards' Booksellers' Choice Award |'''Winner''' |{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} |- |Evergreen Award |'''Winner''' |<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/10-Evergreen-Archive-2022.pdf |title=Evergreen Award™ Winners and Nominees 2005–2022 |publisher=Ontario Library Association |pages=9 |access-date=2023-05-21 |archive-date=2022-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519091905/https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/10-Evergreen-Archive-2022.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |- |International Dublin Literary Award |Longlist |{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} |- |Libris Award for Best Author |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":0" /> |- |Libris Award for Best Fiction |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":0" /> |- | rowspan="2" |2009 | rowspan="2" |''Jerome'' |Robert Meritt Award for Outstanding Play by a Nova Scotian Playwright |Finalist |<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=The 2009 Robert Merritt Awards |url=http://www.merrittawards.ca/downloads/pdf/winners-2009.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903080536/http://www.merrittawards.ca/downloads/pdf/winners-2009.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2014 |access-date=29 September 2013 |work=Robert Merritt Awards official website |publisher=Theatre Nova Scotia}}</ref> |- |Robert Meritt Award for Outstanding Sound or Original Score |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":3" /> |- | rowspan="2" |2017 | rowspan="2" |{{Sort|Witches of New York|''The Witches of New York''}} |Sunburst Award for Adult Fiction |Finalist |<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-07-20 |title=Awards: Sunburst; BOA Short Fiction |url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3047 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Shelf Awareness}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Becky |date=2017-07-17 |title=Ami McKay, Sylvain Neuvel among Sunburst Award finalists |url=https://quillandquire.com/awards/2017/07/17/ami-mckay-sylvain-neuvel-among-sunburst-award-finalists/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Quill and Quire |language=en |archive-date=2022-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522161447/https://quillandquire.com/awards/2017/07/17/ami-mckay-sylvain-neuvel-among-sunburst-award-finalists/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- |Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award |'''Winner''' |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meakin |first=Jonathan |date=2017-06-01 |title=2017 East Coast Literary Award Winners Announced |url=https://atlanticbooks.ca/stories/2017-east-coast-literary-award-winners-announced/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Atlantic Books |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007175923/https://atlanticbooks.ca/stories/2017-east-coast-literary-award-winners-announced/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | rowspan="3" |2018 | rowspan="3" |''Nothing Less!'' |Robert Meritt Award for Outstanding Musical Direction |Finalist |<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Lake |first=Michael |date=2018-03-27 |title=2b Theatre sweeps the 2018 Robert Merritt Theatre Awards with eight wins |url=https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/2018-robert-merritt-awards/Content?oid=13615176 |access-date=2020-08-04 |website=The Coast Halifax |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Theatre Nova Scotia's Robert Merritt Award Nominations 2018 |url=https://immediac.blob.core.windows.net/theatrenovascotia/Nominations%202018.pdf |access-date=2020-08-04 |website=Theatre Nova Scotia |archive-date=2021-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214010921/https://immediac.blob.core.windows.net/theatrenovascotia/Nominations%202018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |- |Robert Meritt Award for Outstanding Original Score |Finalist |<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> |- |Robert Meritt Award for Outstanding Play by a Nova Scotian Playwright |Finalist |<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> |- | rowspan="2" |2020 | rowspan="2" |''Daughter of Family G'' |Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Sue |date=2020-07-02 |title=Ami McKay, Gemma Hickey double winners at Atlantic Book Awards |url=https://quillandquire.com/omni/ami-mckay-gemma-hickey-double-winners-at-atlantic-book-awards/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Quill and Quire |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818144237/https://quillandquire.com/omni/ami-mckay-gemma-hickey-double-winners-at-atlantic-book-awards/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Walt |first=Peggy |date=2020-06-30 |title=2020 Atlantic Book Awards Winners Announced |url=https://atlanticbooks.ca/stories/2020-atlantic-book-awards-winners-announced/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Atlantic Books |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-03-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324071905/https://atlanticbooks.ca/stories/2020-atlantic-book-awards-winners-announced/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> |- |Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award |'''Winner''' |<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":1" /> |}
==Writing credits==
=== Books ===
==== Fiction ====
* ''The Birth House'', Knopf Canada (2006) * ''The Virgin Cure'', Knopf Canada (2011) * ''The Witches of New York'', Knopf Canada (2016) * ''Half Spent Was the Night'', Knopf Canada (2018)
==== Nonfiction ====
* ''Before My Time: A Memoir of Love and Fate'', Vintage Books Canada (2021) * ''Daughter of Family G: A Memoir of Cancer Genes, Love and Fate'', Knopf Canada (2019) ** Prior to publication, segments of ''Daughter of Family G'' were featured on CBC Radio's ''The Sunday Edition'' ** In 2003, a segment of ''Daughter of Family G'' was selected to air on Soundprint and aired on National Public Radio stations throughout the U.S.
=== Other ===
* ''Jerome: The Historical Spectacle'', Gaspereau Press 2008 ** First staged by Two Planks and Passion Theatre Company August 1–17, 2008 at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts * "Christ on a Bike," published in ''Room of One's Own Magazine'' *''Kitchen Ghosts'', Feature Documentary for CBC Radio's ''Outfront'' *''The Midwife House'', Feature Webumentary for CBC Radio's ''Outfront'' *''From Smart Girl to Scat Girl'', Feature Documentary for CBC Radio's ''Outfront'' *''Learning to Box'', Personal Essay for CBC Radio's ''First Person Singular''
==Affiliations== *The Writers Federation of Nova Scotia - Writer's Council Member *PEN Canada & the PEN Canada Rapid Action Network *Writing Fellow at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts
==See also== {{portal|Novels}} *List of Canadian writers
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|url=http://www.amimckay.com}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Ami}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian non-fiction writers Category:Canadian radio personalities Category:20th-century Canadian novelists Category:20th-century Canadian women novelists Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers Category:Indiana State University alumni Category:Atlantic Journalism Awards recipients