Don Aker

Don Aker (born 1955) is a Canadian writer and educator from Nova Scotia. His books won the Ann Connor Brimer Award in 1996 and 2004.

Biography Aker was born in 1955 in Windsor, Nova Scotia. He graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1975, a Bachelor of Education in 1977, and a Master of Education in 1991. Aker worked as a schoolteacher for 33 years, teaching English and creative writing at various levels.

His writing career began after attending a writing workshop at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts in 1988. His first short story, The Invitation, was published in 1990 and has been included in three anthologies. The story was later adapted into a screenplay, with $10,000 in funding provided by Telefilm Canada for its production. Aker's first novel, Of Things Not Seen, was published in 1995 and won the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Young Adult Literature in 1996. He received the same award again in 2004 for his novel The First Stone.

Publications

Recognition 1989: Winner of WFNS Atlantic Writing Competition 1990: Winner of WFNS Atlantic Writing Competition 1990: Winner of Canadian Livings National Literary Competition 1996: Ann Connor Brimer Award for Of Things Not Seen 2004: Ann Connor Brimer Award for The First Stone 2017: The First Stone is listed among 150 Books of Influence by the Nova Scotia Library Association.