Banned on the Hill: Winner,
2014 Gold IPPY Award and Foreword's
Silver IndieFab Award. "Banned on the Hill: It’s a tour de force" Dr. Tom Pedersen, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
Franke James: Winner, Liberty Award for Excellence in the Arts, BCCLA
Franke James received the 2014 Liberty Award for Excellence in the Arts, from the BC Civil Liberties Association. “Franke James is the recipient of this year’s Excellence in the Arts award. Franke has spent years producing original artwork inspired by social and environmental justice. Franke’s artwork and books span print, TV, radio, and online mediums in Canada, the USA, and many other parts of the world. Outspoken on environmental issues, her works have come into conflict with the federal government – leading to the cancellation of her 20-city European art exhibition because of government interference from high-level bureaucrats. Her experiences as an artist facing muzzling and censorship by the federal government led to the publishing of her third book, Banned on the Hill, which chronicles her experience with free expression through eight “visual essays”. Her focus on environmental and social justice, and her fight for free expression, are a few of the reasons she is this year’s recipient.” BC Civil Liberties Association
“Banned on the Hill. It’s absolutely outstanding. It’s a tour de force and if you haven’t bought a copy, buy one. And then buy a second one for your kids and your grandchildren. Because we’ve got to get the youth." Dr. Thomas Pedersen, Executive Director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
Description What would you do if you discovered you were blacklisted by your own government for speaking up on climate change and the tar sands? In Banned on the Hill, artist and author Franke James, tells how she first discovered she was being censored by the Canadian government -- and how she fought back. It's an inspiring story that shows how creativity, crowd-funding and investigative digging can work together to shine a bright light on a government that is more interested in message control than a citizen's democratic right to free expression. Through eight visual essays, James traces her personal journey as an active citizen discovering the power of speaking out. Interviewed in the Guardian newspaper James said that she hoped the book would serve as a how-to guide to other activists hoping to take on the Harper administration, especially with humour. "It's like a judo flip... you can actually flip someone who is much bigger than you."
Through entertaining, powerful and humorous real-life storytelling, James show us how to speak the hard truths -- and get heard. She shows us why actions speak louder than words and how each of us can make a difference in our front yards, our city, our country and our world.
Awards: 2014 Liberty Award for Excellence in the Arts, from the BC Civil Liberties Association 2014 Gold IPPY Award winner at the Independent Book Publishers Awards, Canada-East Best Regional Non-Fiction category 2013 Silver IndieFab Award, Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Award, Category: Ecology and Environment
