FINDING EDWARD
by Sheila Murray
Cyril Rowntree migrates to Toronto from Jamaica in 2012. Managing a precarious balance of work and university, he navigates his way through the implications of being racialized in his challenging new home.
A chance encounter with a panhandler named Patricia leads Cyril to a suitcase full of photographs and letters dating back to the early 1920s. Cyril is drawn into the letters and their story of a white mother’s struggle to come to terms with the need to give up her mixed race baby, Edward. Abandoned by his white father as a small child, Cyril feels a compelling connection to the boy and begins to look for the rest of Edward’s story.
As he searches, Cyril unearths fragments of Edward’s itinerant life and discovers hidden pieces of Canada’s Black history.
- AUTHOR BIO
Sheila MurraySheila Murray’s articles and short fiction have appeared in Canadian magazines and journals including Refuge Journal, Descant, The Dalhousie Review, Exile, White Wall Review, TOK: Writing the New Toronto, Room and The New Quarterly.
Sheila was born and raised in England. Her father was Black Jamaican, and her mother, white English. But her DNA shows a multiracial ancestry that spans much of the globe.
Sheila has worked as a documentary filmmaker and television sound editor. She moved to the non-profit sector in 2009, and now leads a grassroots, volunteer-driven initiative that engages urban residents in adapting to local climate change impacts.
Finding Edward was a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award.
- UPCOMING EVENTS
FINDING HOME
Join Jacqueline Stuart as she takes us back in time to Aurora in the early twentieth
century for some new stories of people who faced various challenges and either
overcame them and “lived happily ever after” or survived but not necessarily happily.
Thursday, September 21, 2023 | 7 PM | Magna Room
Register for preferred seating at bit.ly/40Qdz85
FINDING CREATIVE SPIRIT IN HISTORY
Combine imagination prompts such as visualization and meditation with historical sources, including archival newspapers, advertisements, and political events to connect with an ancestor (real or imagined). This workshop, facilitated by author Marnie Maguire, takes you through the creative process by looking at character sketch, setting, and plot.
Saturday, Sept 30, 2023 | 1:30 PM | Multi-Use Room
Register at bit.ly/41EgTnr
Tickets available August 1
SOUNDS OF REGGAE
Reggae music, with its infectious grooves, joyful sounds, and inspirational lyrics, sprung from the streets of Jamaica and spread all over the world.
Juno nominated singer/guitarist Glenn Marais and percussionist/vocalist Craig Riley grew up with reggae and feel a deep connection to the incredible history and legacy of this amazing music.
Join Glenn and Craig as they present a mix of classic reggae and originals in this show that highlights the power and beauty of the genre.
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 2 PM | Live in the Living Room
OBOA GRAND FINALE
MEET SHEILA MURRAY
Meet Sheila Murray and enjoy a fascinating glimpse into the experiences
that shaped this powerful book.
Conversation | Reading | Q&A
Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 2 PM | Living Room
Register for preferred seating at bit.ly/3iFujxX
Tickets available August 1
CONTESTS
WRITING CONTEST
Social Justice
Central to Finding Edward is the theme that the same prejudices and bigotry that existed historically continue today. This year’s OBOA Writing Contest invites you to consider the meaning of social justice in any way that speaks to you.Submission Guidelines:
- There are two categories: Youth (ages 14 – 17) and Adult (ages 18+)
- Submissions can be in any genre, in original and unpublished in any form
- Maximum length 10 pages, double spaced
- Handwritten submissions will not be accepted
- Manuscripts will not be returned, but the author retains all rights to their work
- Winners will be announced at the OBOA grand finale on October 21, 2023
- Winning entries will be published in the online winter edition of Borealis
- APL employees/Board/judges and their immediate families are ineligible to win
- Send your entries to writingcontest@aurorapl.ca
- Contest deadline: Friday, September 29, 2023
- Prizes: Winner $150 Gift Card | Runner-Up $100 Gift Card
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
A Sense of Place
Finding Edward takes us from Jamaica to Toronto and back in time to Africville and the lumber camps of British Columbia. Inspire us with a sense of place that your photo uncovers – whether from afar or within your own community.Submission Guidelines:
- There are two categories: Youth (Ages 14 – 17) and Adult (Ages 18 +)
- Images may be digitally altered
- Photographs must be high resolution for print
- Winners will be announced at the OBOA grand finale on October 21, 2023
- Winning photographs will be published in the Auroran
- APL Employees/Board/Judges and immediate families are ineligible to win
- Please send submissions to brock@lpcmedia.ca
- Contest Deadline: Friday, September 29, 2023
- Prizes: Winner $150 Gift Card | Runner-Up $100 Gift Card
COOKBOOK
TASTE OF JAMAICA
- BOOK CLUBS
MULTIPLE COPIES FOR BOOK CLUBS
If your book club would like to borrow multiple copies of Finding Edward,
please contact Reccia at rmandelcorn@aurorapl.ca
Copies will be available from January through August 2023.
While quantities last.
The story is told through the different perspectives of Edward and Cyril. As a reader, did you find this an effective approach?
Why was fascism erupting in Canada in Edward’s day - and what is its legacy in today’s world?
Nelson used to ask Cyril two questions: “What are you going to give the world?” and “What makes your heart sing?” (p. 287). How would you respond?
The author has intentionally set the novel in 2012. What was significant about that year from the perspective of race relations?
Finding Edward combines historical fact in a fictional narrative. Did you know much about the Black experience in Canada? Did this book make you want to learn more?
There are multiple elements going on in the book; coming of age, the immigrant experience, systemic racism (historical and current) and a mystery to be solved. As a reader, what was the most compelling for you?
- GET A COPY OF THE BOOK
Look for copies of Finding Edward in our little lending libraries this summer.
Enjoy the book, but please return it so that others might read it as well.
Print and digital formats are available to borrow from Aurora Public Library.
We hope you like the book and look forward to seeing you at the events.
