Myrna Kostash
Myrna Kostash (born September 2, 1944) is a Canadian writer and journalist. She has published several non-fiction books and written for many Canadian magazines including "Chatelaine". Of Ukrainian descent, she was born in Edmonton, Alberta and educated at the University of Alberta, the University of Washington, and the University of Toronto. She resides in Edmonton, Alberta. Career. A founding member of The Periodical Writers' Association of Canada and of the Writers' Guild of Alberta, she served as president of the WGA (1989–90) and as chair of The Writers' Union of Canada (1993–94). She served as Alberta representative  to the Board of Governors of the Canadian Conference of the Arts (1996–2000). She is a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild and PEN. She is a founding member of the Creative Nonfiction Collective, and served as its president 2006–9. She has also for several years been an executive member of the Board of Directors of the Parkland Institute, an organization dedicated to social research and located at the University of Alberta. Kostash is the recipient of several Canada Council, Alberta Foundation for the Literary Arts and Secretary of State  (Multiculturalism) grants. In 1985, she was awarded a Silver citation in the National Magazine Awards and was short-listed in 1997. In 1999 she was a finalist in the Western Magazine Awards. In 1988, her book, "No Kidding: Inside the World of Teenage Girls", received the Alberta Culture and Writers' Guild of Alberta prizes for Best Non-Fiction. In 1994 she was awarded the same prize for her book, "Bloodlines: A Journey Into Eastern Europe". In 1993 she was a participant in the Maclean-Hunter Arts Journalism Seminar, the Banff Centre for the Arts, under the direction of Alberto Manguel . In 2001, her book, "The Next Canada: In Search of the Future Nation", was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada's Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. In 2006, "Reading the River: A Traveller’s Companion to the North Saskatchewan" was a prize winner at the Saskatchewan Book Awards. Kostash is a recipient of the Alberta Achievement Award (1988) and of the Alberta Council of Ukrainian Arts “Excellence in Artistry” Award, 2001, the Canadian Conference of the Arts Honorary Life Member award, 2002, the Queen's Jubilee Award, 2002, the Alberta Centennial Medal, 2005, the City of Edmonton 's 2006 Citation Award, “Salute to Excellence,” and the Writers' Guild of Alberta Golden Pen Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008. She was the 2010 recipient of the Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of a Writing Life, from the Writers'Trust of Canada, the first writer of creative non-fiction to win the award. Works. Other media: film, television radio and stage. She has written for film, notably: And for stage: In 1985 she wrote a television drama And on radio: