Monique Polak

Monique Polak (born May 20, 1960)[1] is a writer from Montreal, Quebec. She has won the Janet Savage Blachford Prize, formally known as the Quebec Writer's Foundation Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature, three times: What World is Left (2009), Hate Mail (2014), and Room for One More (2020).[2]

Monique Polak
BornMay 20, 1960 (1960-05-20) (age 63)
Occupationwriter
NationalityCanadian
Notable awardsJanet Savage Blachford Prize (2009, 2014, 2020)
Spouse
  • Chaim Melamed (1979–1985)
  • Michael Shenker (1996–present)
ChildrenAlicia

Personal life and education

Polak was born May 20, 1960, in Montreal to Maximilien, a criminal court judge, and Celina, a homemaker, Polak.[1] Celina survived the Holocaust, as did her two brothers and both parents.[3][4] Maximilien survived the Holocaust because he was a painter in Holland and was forced to do propaganda art for the Nazis.[3] Polak also has a sister named Carolyn.[5]

She married Chaim Melamed December 16, 1979, and the couple have a daughter named Alicia.[1] They divorced in 1985.[1] She married Michael Shenker, a journalist, on June 2, 1996.[1]

Polak received a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from McGill University in 1981, and a Master of Arts in English literature from Concordia University.[1]

Polak in Jewish.[1]

Career

In 1987, Polak began teaching in English and humanities at Marianopolis College, where she has worked since.[6]

She is also a freelance journalist. Her articles appear regularly in The Montreal Gazette and other Postmedia newspapers across the country. Several of her feature stories have also been published in Maclean's Magazine.

In 2015, Polak was named the inaugural CBC/QWF Montreal writer-in-residence.[7][3]

Awards and honours
Awards for Polak's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2007 All In Arthur Ellis Award Winner [7]
2008 What World Is Left Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth Selection [8][9]
2009 What World is Left QWF Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature Winner [2]
2010 The Middle of Everywhere Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [2]
2012 Pyro Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [2]
2014 Hate Mail Janet Savage Blachford Prize Winner [10]
2014 Straight Punch Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [2]
2019 I Am a Feminist: Claiming the F-Word in Turbulent Times Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [2]
2019 Planet Grief Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award Shortlist [11]
2020 Room for One More Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Shortlist [12]
2020 Room for One More Janet Savage Blachford Prize Winner [13][14]

Publications

Novels
  • Flip Turn (James Lorimer, 2004)
  • No More Pranks (Orca, 2004)
  • On the Game (James Lorimer, 2005)
  • Home Invasion (Orca, 2005)
  • All In (James Lorimer, 2006)
  • Finding Elmo (Orca, 2007)
  • Scarred (James Lorimer, 2007)
  • 121 Express (Orca, 2008)
  • What World Is Left (Orca, 2008)
  • The Middle of Everywhere (Orca, 2009)
  • Junkyard Dog (Orca, 2009)
  • Miracleville (Orca, 2011)
  • Pyro (Orca, 2012)
  • So Much It Hurts (Orca, 2013)
  • Straight Punch (Orca, 2014)
  • Hate Mail (Orca, 2014)
  • Learning the Ropes (Orca, 2015)
  • Forensics Squad Unleashed (Orca, 2016)
  • Leggings Revolt (Orca 2016)
  • Bullies Rule Orca, 2017)
  • Princess Angelica, Camp Catastrophe, illustrated by Jane Heinrichs (Orca, 2018)
  • Planet Grief (Orca, 2018)
  • Princess Angelica, Part-Time Lion Trainer, illustrated by Jane Heinrichs (Orca, 2019)
  • The Taste of Rain (Orca, 2019)
  • Room for One More (Kar-Ben, 2019)
  • Princess Angelica, Junior Reporter, illustrated by Jane Heinrich (Orca, 2020)
  • For the Record (Owlkids, 2022)

Nonfiction
  • Passover: Festival of Freedom (Orca, 2016)
  • I Am a Feminist: Claiming the F-Word in Turbulent Times (Orca, 2019)
  • Why Humans Work: How Jobs Shape Our Lives and Our World, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa (Orca, 2022)
  • Passover Family (Orca, 2018)
  • The Brass Charm, illustrated by Marie Lafrance (Scholastic, 2022)

References
  1. "Polak, Monique 1960–". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  2. "The Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature". Quebec Writers' Federation. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  3. "Monique Polak talks about inspiration for new role as CBC/QWF Writer-in-Residence". CBC News. 2016-01-16. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  4. Hanes, Allison (2022-10-08). "The story behind the story of a mother's Holocaust secret". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  5. Davis, Emma (2022-05-31). "Creator Corner: Meet author Monique Polak". Owlkids Books. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  6. "Monique Polak". QWF Literary Database of Quebec English-language Authors. Archived from the original on 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  7. "Author Monique Polak named CBC/QWF Montreal writer-in-residence". CBC News. 2015-11-18. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  8. "2008 booklist editors choice youth | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2009-10-04. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  9. "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2008". Booklist. 2009-01-01. Archived from the original on 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  10. "Sean Michaels wins Quebec Writer's Federation fiction award". CBC News. 2014-11-19. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  11. Carter, Sue (2019-05-09). "Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award shortlists announced". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  12. Deziel, Shanda (2020-09-16). "Julie Flett, Tom Ryan, and Sydney Smith lead the CCBC Award nominees". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  13. Neal, Christopher (2022-01-16). "Doctor's study of health care for Indigenous children wins two 2021 Quebec Writers' Federation literary awards". The Montrealer. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  14. Qiao, Vicky (2021-12-02). "Samir Shaheen-Hussain and Monique Polak among winners for Quebec Writers' Federation Literary Awards". CBC Books. Archived from the original on 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
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