Benjamin Hertwig is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

poet, whose debut poetry collection ''Slow War'' was a shortlisted finalist for the

Governor General's Award for English-language poetry This is a list of recipients and nominees of the Governor General's Awards award for English-language poetry. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama was divided.2017 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2017 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 4, 2017,

. He is based in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

and is co-owner of the used bookstore Paper Birch Books. A former member of the

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

who served in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, he has also published short fiction and non-fiction work in '' Maisonneuve'', ''

Canadian Literature Canadian literature is written in several languages including Canadian English, English, Canadian French, French, and various Indigenous Canadian languages. It is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in th ...

'', ''

The Walrus ''The Walrus'' is an independent, nonprofit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an eight-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a nation ...

'', ''

Ricepaper ''Ricepaper'' is a Canadian literary magazine with a focus on Asian-Canadian arts and culture. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, it is published quarterly and features articles, literature, poetry, artwork and photography written by or writ ...

'', '' Geez'', '' Prairie Fire'', ''

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as Seven Sisters and Messier 45 (M45), is an Asterism (astronomy), asterism of an open cluster, open star cluster containing young Stellar classification#Class B, B-type stars in the northwest of the constellation Tau ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. He won a

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

in the Personal Journalism category in 2017 for "The Burn". In 2024, Hertwig released his first novel, ''Juiceboxers'', which follows four young men sent to war in Afghanistan. The novel was a finalist for the 2025 Amazon.ca First Novel Award."Amazon Canada First Novel Award shortlist announced"
''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', May 6, 2025.

References

External links

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Paper Birch Books – About Us
21st-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian magazine writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Living people 21st-century Canadian male writers Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Edmonton 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian male novelists Poets from Alberta Novelists from Alberta {{Canada-poet-stub