Ami McKay is a Canadian journalist and novelist.

McKay was born in rural Indiana, but now lives with her husband and two sons on the Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...

. She began her writing career as a freelancer for CBC Radio

CBC Radio

CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...

. Her work has aired on Maritime Magazine, Outfront

Outfront

Outfront was a Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio One from 8:43 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday to Friday evenings, following the now defunct Nighttime Review....

, This Morning

This Morning (radio program)

This Morning was a Canadian radio program which aired from 1997 to 2002 on CBC Radio One. It was not always successful with CBC audiences, and underwent several format and hosting changes during its lifetime....

and Sunday Edition

Sunday Edition

Sunday Edition is a Sunday morning radio show on CBC Radio One, hosted by Michael Enright. As the title might imply, the program was originally simply the Sunday edition of This Morning, which Enright co-hosted until the Sunday program became a separate entity in 2000.Its subject matter is wide...

. 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

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.

The Birth House was McKay's first published effort and reached the Number One spot on Canadian best sellers lists. Her next novel, "The Virgin Cure", is due for publication Oct 25, 2011.

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

Ken Schwartz

Ken Schwartz is a Canadian theatre director, playwright and arts activist.-Biography:Schwartz was born and raised in Halifax, NS, graduating from the Halifax Grammar School in 1987, then moving to Montreal to study at the National Theatre School in 1987...

 in August 2008.

Awards and recognition

• 2010 - One of the five finalists in CBC's Canada Reads. Her book is championed by TV host and designer Debbie Travis.
• 2009 - Robert Meritt Award (co-winner with Allen Cole) for Outstanding Sound Design or Original Score for the 2008 production of Jerome: The Historical Spectacle produced by Two Planks and Passion Theatre Company
• Feb 2008 - 2007 Evergreen Award. Presented by the Ontario Librarian's Assoc.
• Nov 2007 - Longlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Award
• June 2007 - Libris Awards for Best Author and Best Fiction Book of 2007. Presented by the Canadian Booksellers Association
• May 2007 - Bookseller's Choice Award at the Atlantic Book Awards
• March 2004 - Second Place in the The H.R.(Bill) Percy Prize for Unpublished Novel by the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia.
• January 2003 Finalist in the Writers' Union of Canada Short Prose Competition, Illumination
• April 2003 Gabriel Award Nomination, Daughter of Family G
• May 2003 Atlantic Journalism Awards - Excellence in Journalism Award (Finalist in the Feature Writing for Radio Category, Daughter of Family G)
• October 2003 - Daughter of Family G was selected to air on Soundprint, and aired on National Public Radio stations throughout the U.S.
• November 2002 - May 2003 Apprentice in the WFNS Mentorship Program Paired with Richard Cumyn

Writing credits

• The Virgin Cure: A Novel Published by Knopf(Canada)Due for release Fall 2011
• Jerome: The Historical Spectacle [play] Published by Gaspereau Press 2008. First staged by Two Planks and Passion Theatre Company 1 Aug - 17 Aug 2008 at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts.
• The Birth House: A Novel Published by Knopf(Canada),4th Estate (UK), Harper Collins (US), also in Holland, Germany and Lithuiania(Gimdymo Namai - published by VAGA)
• Christ on a Bike, Short Story, Room of One's Own Magazine
• Daughter of Family G, Feature Documentary for CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition.
• 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

External links

• Her personal website Her main website.
• Interview with Ami McKay - Orato
• Her Blog A regularly updated blog that goes back several years. Very interesting for those who want to track a writer's journey from dreamy, unpublished obscurity to international bestselling author.
• Interview with Ami McKay, online from CBC Words at Large