The works of two Winnipeggers have been recognized with prestigious Governor General’s Literary Awards.

“Scientific Marvel: Poems” by Chimwemwe Undi was honored in the poetry category and “Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre” by Nigaan Sinclair won in the non-fiction category.

“(When they told me) I was in my office on a Teams call that I had to get off,” Undi told CTV Morning Live Winnipeg.

“A pretty typical Monday morning for most people and I started screaming, and they told me it was confidential, so I had to kind of stifle my reaction.”

Undi and Sinclair’s works were selected from 1,529 nominated books. A total of fourteen Governor General’s Literary Awards were awarded in 2024.

The prestigious awards come with a $25,000 prize for each author.

“Scientific Marvel” marks Undi’s first full-length collection of poetry. His work has its roots in Undi’s hometown.

“Artists often say your first work is the one you’ve been writing your whole life,” she said.

“The questions I’m thinking about in ‘Scientific Marvel’ are fundamentally about Winnipeg and what it means to live in the city, what the future of the city might look like, what it means to live on Indigenous land in 2024.”

Undi was born in Winnipeg, moved to Namibia at the age of two and returned to our city at the age of 13. This “complicated journey,” as Undi describes it, made her feel a bit of an outsider.

This created a natural tendency to observe, she says, something that continues to guide her writing life.

Another influence in his poetry – his daily work. When she is not writing, she practices law. Her language seeps through and informs much of her writing, she said.

“I think any poet would tell you that any kind of interesting or unique language shows up in your writing. This happened to happen in a very language-focused field. »

– With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé